Shinigami Phantom
by inukagome15
Summary: Danny and friends are transported to a new world where two spirits reign. But only Danny can see them and they're trying to help Phantom move on. Soon ghosts and spirits find themselves in a struggle for their lives...or -afterlives-. Full summary inside.
1. Prologue

**This is a crossover with _Bleach _and _Danny Phantom_. If you have questions about certain things, don't hesitate to ask. However, if I plan to reveal the answer later, well, I won't answer it directly, all right? It's set after Danny gets his ice powers. It's rated "T" for safety as _Bleach _is a rather violent show.**

_**Summary:**_** After a ghost attack in Amity Park, Danny and friends are transported to a different world where malevolent ghosts take the forms of hollows and the good spirits are shinigamis. There's a slight problem though: Danny is the only one who can see the strange people and the fact that they're trying to help Phantom move on into the afterlife isn't helping matters. But when a new threat arrives, the friends may just find themselves battling for their lives, or in others' cases, **_**afterlives.**_

**EDIT (02/23/10)****: **So I edited some stuff in here, like how Ichigo is addressing Orihime and the spelling of Uryuu's name and "zanpakutou" and "kidou" and whatnot. I'll continue to do this for the rest of the story. **  
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**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Danny Phantom_ nor _Bleach_.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 1: Prologue**

* * *

Amity Park's version of a normal day is…strange to say the least. Normally, several ghost attacks by either Inviso-Bill or another ghost would be considered normal and anything otherwise would be considered strange. However, this day was the most normal day yet as nothing had happened. The birds were singing, the sun shining, and most normal of all, three perfectly average teenagers were taking a perfectly normal walk in the park.

The one in the middle is Daniel, or Danny, Fenton. Fifteen-years-old with a scrawny build and raven-black hair along with blue eyes, he is normally picked on by bullies. His jeans are blue, his sneakers red and white, and his shirt white with a red oval in the middle. Walking next to him is one of his best friends, Samantha, or Sam, Manson. This girl is a Goth, which means she doesn't dress in bright colors. To top it off, she's an ultra-recyclo vegetarian (which means she doesn't eat anything with a face on it). Her tank top is black with a hint of purple and it shows her stomach. On her feet are black combat boots and her skirt is both black and purple. Her hair is black and her eyes purple. Walking on the other side of Danny is his other best friend. Tucker Foley is an African American techno geek who never goes anywhere without his technology and red beret. He has glasses, blue eyes, a yellow shirt, and jeans.

"So, what do you guys want to do today?" Danny asked his friends. They sat down on a park bench.

"I don't know. Watch a movie?" Tucker pressed a dozen buttons on his PDA.

"Please," Sam groaned, leaning against the bench. "We've watched all the movies available and more. Can we do something else?"

"It's just strange. There hasn't been a ghost attack for the whole day," Danny said, staring at a leaf.

"You should be glad, Danny, there's hardly any time that's this calm," Tucker said.

"I know, but that's what worries me. Not even the Box Ghost has shown up lately."

"Please, that pathetic ghost," Sam scoffed. "That guy is nothing but an annoyance."

"An annoyance that won't go away, you mean," Danny said. "I would have thought Skulker would show up and start ranting about 'pelts' or some other nonsense."

"Next thing you know," Tucker said, "that guy will show up and cause trouble. Leave it be, man. Besides, the new version of Doomed is out."

"You mean you pirated it."

"Did not!"

"Then how do you explain getting it before everyone else?"

"Uh—"

"I rest my case."

"You could be arrested for that, Tucker," Sam scolded him.

"Oh, me? I'm a minor, this is _nothing_ compared to what real pirates can do," Tucker said.

"Guys? You better stop arguing," Danny said, looking around. "We've got ghosts. Thermos, Sam?"

"Check." A thermos appeared in her hand.

"All right. I'm going ghost!"

Suddenly, the normal teenage boy transformed. Two bluish-white rings formed around his waist and traveled in opposite directions. When they passed over his body, his normal clothes changed into a black and white jumpsuit with a DP emblem on the chest. His black hair became a snowy white and his eyes changed to an electric green. His skin became tanned, a ghostly aura formed, and he _floated_.

"Now…" He flew up. "…where's the ghost?"

"Behind you, Danny!" Sam called.

Danny whirled around to see a monstrous green blob of a ghost glaring at him out of red eyes.

"OK, that has got to be one of the weirdest ghosts I've seen," Danny said. "It doesn't even have arms!" It suddenly grew two fat arms. "I stand corrected."

Danny's hands started to glow green as he waited for the other ghost to make the first move. It did soon by raising one hand up high and bringing it down to slap the ghost boy to the ground. Danny prevented that by putting his hands together and firing a huge green blast right through the hand. It formed a hole and Danny slipped through it before the green skin reformed.

"Hey, it's Inviso-Bill! Danny heard someone shout. It turned out to be a football jock named Dash Baxter.

"It's Phantom!" he protested, dodging another punch. "Danny Phantom!"

"You'd think that after he shouted it out to the whole town they'd get the message," Tucker whispered to Sam.

"Da-Phantom!" Sam shouted. Oops, she had nearly said Danny and that would be suspicious. "Give it another green blast!"

"That's a ghost ray and you know it," Danny muttered but he fired up another one anyway. He let it go and blasted a huge hole into the other ghost's chest. It immediately reformed. "Now what do I do?! Oh, duh"—he slapped himself in the forehead—"ice powers."

Instead of the green, an icy blue gathered around his white gloves. Before the other ghost could react, Danny Phantom let it go and froze the whole ghost. He then formed a ghost ray ball and aimed it towards his enemy's center. The ghost blasted into a bazillion pieces of ice. He landed on the ground besides Sam and Tucker.

"Uh, shouldn't you suck it up?" Sam gestured towards the thermos.

"I think it'll be fine," Danny said confidently.

"Hey, why are you hanging around with _those_ losers?" Dash's annoying voice said.

"Uh, sorry, citizen!" Danny suddenly said in a very mature voice. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about!"

Dash scratched his blonde hair. "Why do you sound so weird?"

"It's—" Danny was saved from having to answer Dash's question as the ghost he had defeated reformed. "Oh great."

"Why didn't you suck it in when you had the chance, dummy?!" Sam shouted angrily.

"Hey, sorry!" Danny said defensively. "I should've realized that the ghost could reform." He stared, shocked, as the green ghost he had fought before began to glow an ominous red. "Get back!"

Before the others could do so, an enormous red beam came from the creature's mouth. Danny had barely enough time to form a green dome around the other people before a roaring noise was heard. Everything was red.

"Danny!" Sam cried, watching her friend struggle under the onslaught.

"I'm…okay," he got out. His arms were shaking from the effort of maintaining the dome. After a couple more seconds, the red light ceased and he could drop the dome, panting heavily. "You," he panted to Dash, "get outta here."

Dash didn't need to be told twice as he ran off as fast as he could.

"Are you all right, Danny?" Sam asked, worried.

"Yeah, that just packed a lot more punch than I would've thought," Danny admitted. "I don't think I can hold another shield to that."

"Thermos, Danny?" Sam waved it around.

"Oh, right." Danny took it from her. "Stupid me."

"I suggest getting a coat, dude," Tucker said as Danny's hands started to glow blue. "That is _cold_."

"It's ice," Sam pointed out dryly.

Danny let loose his ice ray and it froze the ghost one more time. He sucked it in the thermos before it could break free and capped it.

"That was quick."

"Danny," Sam squeaked, looking up.

"What?" Danny saw Sam point up and looked. What he saw made his heart, if he had one in ghost form, drop down into his boots. "Oh, crud."

It was the same attack as before but it had apparently been building up above the ghost when Danny hadn't been paying attention. Now, with the ghost unable to control it anymore, it had gotten itself ready to attack. Danny didn't even have time to put up a shield before they were all blasted by the red light.

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

When the light disappeared, nothing was left of the three friends, in fact, there wasn't even a crater.

* * *

The tall orange-haired teenager frowned as he stared at the chalkboard. There was a math problem outlined on it but that wasn't what was causing his agitation. He was frowning over what had been going on lately. This teenager's name is Kurosaki Ichigo and he's a regular high school student. In fact, he's so regular that he's worrying about hollows, or monsters with masks that eat people's souls.

'_There haven't been any hollows lately,_' Ichigo thought, frowning as he looked at the math problem, or rather, right through it. '_That's just weird. In fact, there hasn't even been any word from Soul Society about Aizen's whereabouts._'

"Is something wrong with the board, Kurosaki?" His teacher's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? No, nothing's wrong. Just thinking."

"Must be some thinking if you haven't even completed one math problem," the teacher said.

Ichigo looked down at his sheet and saw that he hadn't completed anything. "Er, right."

The bell rang then and the teacher assigned them all homework, giving the orange-haired student a baleful look that didn't even register a two on the teenager's scale of important things. No, he had much more important things to worry about.

"Hey, Ishida," he said to a dark-haired skinny teenager with glasses. "Do you think something's up?"

"I have also noticed the recent decline of hollow activity," Ishida Uryuu said. "It does not bode well…I think."

The broad-shouldered man behind Uryuu grunted. That man's name was Sado Yasutora, or Chad as Ichigo insisted on calling him. "Likewise."

"Kurosaki-kun," a soft voice said behind him. It was revealed to be a shy-looking girl with reddish-orange hair. She had two flower hair clips in her hair. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, Inoue," Ichigo said. His face didn't change—in fact, it was common knowledge that he always wore a scowl.

"We were just discussing the decline of hollow activity," Uryuu said. "There's been a suspicious lack of it."

Inoue Orihime smiled. "One might show up soon."

"Uh—" Ichigo scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a good way to phrase his next sentence. "See, Inoue, hollows normally attack all the time. Just saying that one might show up soon doesn't mean one will. Besides, it's getting weird. Not even Soul Society has sent word."

"That might be a good thing," Uryuu said, pushing up his glasses.

"Or it might not."

"Speaking of hollows," Chad said, "I think I sense one's reiatsu."

"But my badge hasn't—"

Ichigo was cut off by a loud obnoxious voice crying, "HOLLOW! HOLLOW!" It was revealed to be a badge with a skull's shape cut into it on Ichigo's pant. It was flashing yellow.

"Speak of the devil. So there is a hollow. Finally." Ichigo dashed outside. "Cover for me, will ya?"

"Wait, Kurosaki!" Uryuu gazed at vacant spot that Ichigo had occupied just a moment ago. "Ah, never mind."

Ichigo pressed the badge against his chest and another him burst out. He grabbed his falling body and unceremoniously stuffed it into a broom closet. This new him had on a black garment with a huge sword as long as Ichigo strapped to his back. It was wrapped up in white cloth. His feet had brown sandals on. Yes, Kurosaki Ichigo is a shinigami, or Death God.

Ichigo opened a window and jumped out of it to land on thin air. He ran into a specific direction, letting the badge he carried guide him to the hollow.

A couple of minutes later, he arrived at the source of the commotion. It was a huge bony thin monster with an ugly mask on.

"You're an ugly one, aren't you?" Ichigo said, gripping his sword hilt. The cloth retreated to a certain length, revealing a black and white zanpakutou, or sword. It was sharpened to a deadly point.

It turned towards him and an unearthly shriek split the air, coming from its mouth. Ichigo didn't even flinch and watched coolly as the hollow approached him slowly, shaking the earth with each step.

When the hollow had become close enough, Ichigo hopped off the building he had been standing on and swung his sword down. The hollow dodged at the last second and instead of cutting the mask the way he had wanted to, Ichigo cut off the arm.

The hollow roared.

"Heh." Ichigo grinned. "Not bad."

It reached out with its other arm and Ichigo dodged it by jumping up high. He again aimed towards the mask but this time the hollow sprung clear from his strike.

Ichigo swore and growled. He jumped up again and slashed the hollow's knee. His sword cut it. The hollow then opened its mouth and a red light started to develop.

"Cero? Oh man!" Ichigo jumped up at the last second, leaving a crater where he had been standing before. "You're…getting annoying!" Ichigo disappeared and reappeared behind the hollow. "Take this!"

He attacked the hollow from behind and split the mask. The hollow gave out one final roar as its body split into different particles and disintegrated.

"Annoying but at least it's taken care of," Ichigo said. His sword was now resting on his back again. "I better go back to class before my teacher blows a vein."

He leapt off in the direction of the school. Ichigo never noticed that when the dust had settled in the crater where the cero had landed, three figures rested at the bottom.


	2. Where are we?

**Thanks to _Hordak's Pupil, Garnet Sky, NarutoPhantom, Cross177_, and _Miss Captain-Mad Dog Vane_ for reviewing!**

**EDIT (10/17/11):** I really didn't like this chapter. It was weird, stupid, and made no sense. I rewrote a lot of it and filled in a plot hole that I'd begun to cover in later chapters. Furthermore, Tucker is no longer as stupid as I originally had him.

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.  
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**Chapter 2: Where Are We?**

* * *

Danny groaned as he woke up. Last thing he could remember was a blinding flash of red light, pain, and then darkness. He blearily opened his eyes and saw dirt. Well, it wasn't dirt exactly but it was dirt from a street. The second thing he noticed was that he wasn't in ghost form anymore.

He hesitatingly got to his knees and looked around the crater they had landed in to find Sam and Tucker. Both were alive but still unconscious.

"At least we're still in Amity Park," Danny muttered, clutching his head. It hurt from that light he had seen. "Sam? Tucker? Wake up, guys, come on."

He shook Sam gently and she groaned before opening her eyes. "Danny? Where are we?"

"In a crater in Amity Park," he answered. He crawled over to Tucker and whispered in his ear, "There's a brand new PDA out with the latest state-of-the-art technology."

"Where?" Tucker yelled, waking up immediately. He saw Danny and Sam laughing and frowned. "There isn't a new PDA out, is there?"

"No, I couldn't resist. Sorry, Tuck," Danny said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Come on; let's get out of this crater."

They crawled out of the crater to see a world very unlike the city they had grown up in. The hole they had woken up in was surrounded by yellow tape and police officers were talking into their walkie-talkies and a crowd was gathered around the area.

"I thought you said we were still in Amity Park!" Sam accused Danny quietly.

"I thought we were!" Danny hissed back. He grabbed his friends by the arms and turned them invisible. They didn't need the extra attention of being seen climbing out of a hole in the middle of the street. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe the ghost blasted us through a tunnel all the way into China," Tucker joked feebly, letting Danny pull him out of the crater.

"Everything's still English," Danny pointed out.

"But look at the police cars!" Sam pointed at one. "Those don't look like the ones we have back in Amity Park!"

Danny and Tucker looked and had to admit that their raven-haired friend had a very valid point.

"Okay… So if the cars don't look like any of the ones we're used to, then what the heck is going on?" Danny was pulling them towards the yellow lines that marked the area off from the spectators and the wandering policemen.

Since they were now in the middle of the crowd, Danny deemed it safe enough to turn them visible again. As soon as he did, Sam slipped away to a vendor on the side.

"This reminds me of New York," Tucker muttered to Danny. "Vendors on the sidewalk? That's _totally_ the Big Apple."

"I get that but…" Danny peered at the weird confections on display. "What exactly is _that_?" He pointed to something that resembled a bunch of fried donuts.

"It looks like fried donuts," Tucker confided.

"At a vendor?"

Sam popped up at that moment, shoving a newspaper into Danny's hands. "Look at this!" she hissed.

Danny and Tucker glanced down at the ordinary newspaper that seemed to have frazzled their friend.

"_Broken Sewer Pipe Causes Chaos_?" Danny read in confusion.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Not that!" She yanked it out of his hands and pointed to a spot in a corner. "_This_!"

Danny and Tucker looked at the spot she pointed out. Then they looked again.

"Karakura Town?" Tucker yelped.

"_Japan_?" Danny said in an even louder voice. "How did we get to _Japan_?"

"Never mind that! How are we even reading this?" Tucker snatched the newspaper from Sam and flipped through the pages. "It's all in English!"

"Shh!" Sam checked their surroundings but saw that no one had noticed anything.

"Sorry for shouting but it's a little disturbing to find that we somehow made our way to _Japan_!" Danny whispered furiously. "How does that work out?"

"Are we even in Japan?" Tucker asked dubiously. "As far as I know, the Japanese language has two scripts: kanji and hiragana. _This_"—he waved the newspaper—"is plain English. And it's a local newspaper so that's not even possible. If it were a national one I'd get it but this is – for all apparent purposes – a small town."

"I grabbed the first newspaper I saw," Sam said, crossing her arms defensively. "They all looked the same. I don't know anymore than you do."

"But it doesn't make any _sense_," Tucker groaned. "We were in _Amity Park_, which is in the _middle_ of the United States. How do we get from there all the way to freakin' _Japan_? Which is on the _other side_ of the Earth?"

"And they're all speaking English," Danny added, pointing back at the crowd they had left at the crater. "Are we hallucinating?"

"Unless we're all hallucinating the same thing, which is impossible," Sam denied.

"Maybe I'm hallucinating you telling me this," Danny grumbled.

"Either you – or we – are hallucinating or we're not," Sam said, pursing her lips. "Regardless, it doesn't matter. We'll have to figure out what we're going to do."

"Maybe it was something in the red light that ghost shot at us," Tucker mused.

"Last time I checked, Tucker," Danny said, leaning against a wall, "ghost attacks don't transport you halfway across the world." There was a short pause before he muttered, "Although, my dad could change that with a drive in the RV."

"You can fly us back, right?" Tucker asked his friend.

Danny stared at him incredulously. "A flight across a huge ocean? That'd be straining, even for me."

Suddenly, Danny's top half became invisible. Alarmed, Sam and Tucker moved to cover him and began to whistle innocently. A few seconds later, he reappeared.

"Oh man! My powers are screwed up." Danny looked down. "Next thing I know I'll be phasing through the street."

"Don't say that. It won't happen," Tucker said. Danny then phased through the street. "Or, maybe not."

Danny phased back up. "This is weird."

"Let's just try to sort things out, all right?" Sam said reasonably. "We can't go to the police because we'll be locked up in an asylum. After all, who'd believe that we were instantaneously transported from the Americas?"

"I would," Danny said gloomily. His ghost sense went off. "Be right back." He ran into an alley and a white flash could be seen before his ghostly ego came out. "Anyone see me?"

"Nope. You're just fine," Sam said. She rooted through her purple backpack. "Need another thermos?"

Danny pulled one out of that invisible pocket he seemed to have. "Got it covered. Follow me on foot, all right?"

"It's not Halloween, dude," a guy said, passing Danny.

Danny stared after him before looking back at his friends. "He spoke _English_! This _really_ doesn't make _any_ sense!"

"It doesn't matter at the moment!" Sam pointed at the thermos. "You have something to deal with, don't you?"

Danny sighed and nodded. "You think they'll panic if I start flying around?"

"A strange white-haired, glowing, teenager in a black and white jumpsuit flying around in broad daylight? I think you're safe," Sam said.

"Gee, thanks." Danny took off.

"You think they're familiar with ghosts around here?" Tucker asked.

"Maybe, maybe not." Sam sighed. "Come on; we should go after him."

Danny was looking around for the ghost when he saw a shadowy figure lurking by a building. A closer look revealed it to be a masked monster.

"Okay, maybe I'm not hallucinating after all," Danny muttered, inspecting the monster that had apparently set off his ghost sense. "I've never seen something like that and I don't think hallucinations make up stuff you have no clue about."

Danny fired off a ghost ray and hit the monster in its huge foot. It roared loudly and the echoing sounds hit Danny, causing him to cover his ears in reflex.

"You need singing lessons," he complained to it. "Are you even a ghost?"

Danny flew perilously close to it and nearly risked being gored by a horn on the shoulder. He threw it another ghost ray and scored a hit on the monster's back. It left a small mark. Danny followed it with a barrage of small green balls.

"Danny!" He turned to see his friends. "Why are you attacking thin air?"

"Thin air?" Danny looked back to see the monster get up. "That's a monster!"

Sam peered behind the floating teen ghost. "What monster? I don't see anything besides a lot of smoke. You better stop before you get a bad reputation here, too."

"But there's a monster!" Danny yelled, frustrated. He grabbed the mask and pulled it to where his friends were. It helped that the thing was still dazed. "Can't you see it?"

"Huh?" Tucker gazed pityingly at his friend. "There's nothing there, Danny. It's all right to admit you're seeing stuff, man."

"But I'm not!" Danny looked at the thing he held in his hands. "I'm holding it and it's just a foot away from you!"

Sam and Tucker shot each other worried looks. Danny was becoming more frustrated by the minute. Fed up, he let go and kicked the thing straight across the street. He settled himself on the ground next to his friends, who, unfortunately, thought he had hit his head too hard.

"Wow, you might wanna get that power under control," Tucker said, looking at the mess Danny had made by kicking the thing across.

"What power? I just kicked that stupid monster into a building."

"But, Danny," Sam said, "there's _nothing there._"

Danny now shot her a look that read, "Are _you_ feeling all right?"

"I just kicked a ten foot high monster straight across the street into a building and you still don't believe me?"

Tucker rapped his knuckle against Danny's head. "You might wanna see a doctor."

Danny growled and flew across the street to vent some more of his frustration onto the monster.

"Great!" he shouted to it. "Thanks to you, my best friends are now under the impression that I'm insane!" He grunted as he shot one ghost ray after another at it. "Now that that's done"—he took out the thermos—"I can suck you in." The light came out and hit the monster.

Danny put the thermos away, ran behind a lamppost, and transformed back into his raven-haired self. He ran out to intercept his friends. They were among the crowd of people who had come to see the mess made.

"Wow, Danny, looks like your ghost half is already going to have bad publicity," Sam said.

Danny frowned. "I didn't attack thin air, all right?" Crossing his arms angrily, he turned his head. Something blurred on one of the rooftops, revealing a flash of orange. Blinking, he looked again only to find that nothing was there. "What was that?"

"What's what?" Sam looked the way he was looking. "Are you feeling all right?"

"For the last time, yes!" he snapped loudly. He lowered his voice when several people shot him curious stares. "I thought I saw something orange, okay? Nothing weird about that, is there?"

"Hey, shouldn't you kids be in school?" a man asked them.

The three teens froze in shock for a moment, their brains working in overdrive.

"Our school ended early," Sam finally said brightly. "It's a real mess here, huh? That ghost kid sure did a number."

Danny gave her a glare.

"Ghost kid?" The man shrugged. "Haven't seen any. Last I know of, there's no such thing as a ghost."

"She's talking about Inviso-Bill," Tucker explained. He ignored the looks Sam and Danny were giving him at the name. He rambled on, "You know, that kid who haunts a town in America?"

"Uh—" The man sauntered off, giving Tucker a look. It seemed like he didn't know whether to believe the kid or to call up the police and say that the poor kid was insane.

"They haven't heard of me," Danny said quietly. "Or, ghost me anyway. Besides, what's up with calling me Inviso-Bill?"

"It's what most people remember," Tucker said, shrugging.

"Well, Inviso-Bill or Phantom, these people haven't heard of ghosts, apparently," Sam said. "Either that, or the man doesn't watch the news."

"If we're really in Japan, Sam, I don't think there'll be news about ghost attacks in Amity Park, USA," Danny said.

"I think it was broadcast nationally when our town disappeared off the face of the earth when Pariah Dark was running rampant."

"What are we going to do about school?" Tucker asked. "That guy was asking us about being in school today and I thought it was Sunday."

"It might've taken us a few days to get from Amity Park to here. As for the school thing, that's easy. We just enroll ourselves in one."

"Don't we need our parents for that?" Danny inquired.

Sam smiled evilly at him.

He gulped and thought, '_Something tells me this does not bode well._'

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo had been sitting in class when his badge had gone off. Excusing himself to go to the bathroom much to the chagrin of the teacher, he again turned into a shinigami and stuffed his body into a broom closet.

Several minutes later, Ichigo arrived on the scene of the hollow to find a white-haired kid pummeling the hollow to a pulp.

"Er, who's that? How come he's flying?" Ichigo watched as the floating kid gave the hollow a powerful kick that landed it across the street. "Well, whoever he is, he's good." He frowned as he saw the boy converse with a couple of other kids, seemingly having an argument before flying over to bombard the hollow with some flashy green attacks. "This is just weird. I don't know anyone who can fly and use green energy."

Ichigo noticed in amazement the small device the floating kid wielded that sucked in the hollow. He then saw the kid disappear. The orange-haired teenager directed his attention to the crowd and saw the same two teenagers that the white-haired boy had conversed with meet up with a black-haired boy. They seemed to be arguing.

"Well, if everything's all right here," Ichigo said, turning around to go back, "I guess it's all right to go back. The others won't believe a word I say."

* * *

**After school…**

Ichigo and his friends were in the hall among the crowd of students.

"My badge had gone off in the middle of class," Ichigo said, "and when I got there, the hollow was already being taken care of."

"Was there another shinigami?" Uryuu asked.

"That's the weird thing. The guy taking care of it was a kid in a black and white jumpsuit with white hair."

"You have orange hair," Uryuu pointed out.

Ichigo paused for a moment but then continued, "The other thing is, he could fly and was using green energy from his hands. He made the hollow disappear by using a soup can."

Uryuu couldn't repress a snicker. "A soup can? And what's so unusual about flying? What you do is pretty close to it."

"Yeah, but, _my_ kind of flying is more of a walking on air policy. This kid was literally flying," Ichigo argued. "Besides, what was that green energy?"

"It could have been a kidou," Uryuu said.

"Kidous aren't green, Ishida," Ichigo said.

"We don't know everything about Soul Society, Ichigo," Chad said in his deep voice. "There may be different colors of kidous and the kid might have been out of uniform."

"Are you sure it wasn't Hitsugaya-taichou?" Orihime asked.

"Definitely," Ichigo said. "This kid didn't have a zanpakutou and he didn't have a taichou's haori."

"Well, whatever it is, he saved you from a battle with a hollow," Uryuu said. "It's nothing big."

"Okay, I can see that nothing I say will change your minds." Ichigo turned around. "I'll be going home but don't come running to me when you see a white-haired kid pummeling a hollow to a pulp."

The friends went outside the school to see an extremely dark-skinned teenage boy with a red beret playing around with a PDA.

"Hey," he said, "you didn't happen to see a tall guy in there, did you?"

"No," Ichigo said. "Who're you?"

"I'm a new student," he said. It was then that Ichigo noticed the kid spoke with an accent. "The guy I was asking about is supposed to be enrolling my friends and me."

"What grade are you?" Orihime inquired.

"I should be in your grade," the boy said, looking over Orihime in a way that Ichigo and the others did not like. "By the way, do you wanna go out?"

Orihime seemed flustered for a moment. "Uh, uh, I don't know."

"My name's – oh, hey!" He waved at someone behind the group. "How'd it go?"

Ichigo turned around to see a tall guy in a brown overcoat and a black hat. He had a black moustache and a beard.

"You're enrolled," the man said in a deep voice. It sounded rather odd. "Making new friends?"

As the dark-skinned boy nodded, Ichigo saw that the man had unusually white hair. He was reminded of the kid he had seen before. Ichigo couldn't see his eyes as they were covered by a pair of sunglasses.

"Welcome to Karakura High School," Orihime said brightly.

"Thanks," the boy said, grinning. "You'll see my siblings around here, too."

"It was nice meeting you all," the man said. He cleared his throat and continued in that odd voice. "Come on, let's go."

He took the boy Ichigo and the others had been conversing with and pushed him away. Ichigo noticed that the man was walking queerly. They had barely gotten away when the man stumbled and fell. The top half seemed to fall down a little later then the bottom half, much to Ichigo's amazement.

"Ow," he grumbled.

Ichigo thought that the voice wasn't as deep as it had been before. He went over and asked, "You okay?"

He gave the odd man a hand.

"Er, yes, thank you." The man brushed down his coat and took off. The boy with the red beret followed him.

"Did anyone else think that guy was strange?" Ichigo asked.

"Mm-hmm." The others all nodded.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Danny asked Sam.

The two were in a brown overcoat. Danny was in ghost form and floating above Sam's shoulders. Sam herself was standing upright. The two were supposed to be masquerading as a granddad interested in enrolling his grandchildren in a school. Danny could have passed as an adult without Sam but it would've looked suspicious without any shoes at the bottom. Danny had a hat to cover most of his snowy white hair because it would have been too bright, sunglasses to hide his electric green eyes, and black gloves to disguise his white gloves. He had a beard and a moustache to boot because otherwise he wouldn't have looked the part.

"You said it yourself, Danny," Sam hissed. "You have to be an adult to enroll in a school and you're the only one who actually fits the part in ghost mode. Just try not to float too high. I have your boots in my hands but you can lift me off the ground."

"This stinks," Danny grumbled. He sneezed. "This moustache isn't helping matters either."

"Just hurry up. We're going to be late for the appointment and besides, Tucker is outside and I don't want him blabbing anything out."

Danny was floating in a sitting position. Sam was under him and holding his ankles so he didn't float away. It was a smart position because Sam didn't have to support his weight and all Danny would have to do is make sure that he didn't float away from "his" feet.

Danny walked through the halls of the high school they wanted to enroll in and silently thanked whatever force was out there that no one was in the halls. They arrived at the principal's office soon enough and Danny knocked on the door.

"How's my voice supposed to be again?" he whispered.

"Don't use that mature voice that you normally take in Amity Park. It sounds stupid."

"Gee, thanks."

"Enter," a voice said from within.

Danny cleared his throat and hoped that everything would go all right. He opened the door and stepped into the office.

"Why, hello, Mr.?" the principal said.

"Uh—" They hadn't rehearsed this part.

"Manson," Sam said indistinctly. "We'll make something up later about how 'American' it is."

Wondering why it even mattered that they passed for Japanese, Danny rolled with it. "Manson," he said in an odd voice that could pass for a fully grown male's.

"Manson?" The principal raised an eyebrow. "New to Japan?"

"Uh—" Danny thought quickly. They could apparently speak perfect Japanese (there was _no way_ that everyone was speaking English in _Japan_) and that wasn't something that happened in a couple of weeks for a family that had _just_ moved. "Not exactly. My great-great grandparents moved from America to here."

"That explains it. Now, why don't you have a seat?" The principal gestured to a chair.

Sam peeked through a crack in the overcoat and walked over to the chair, almost dragging Danny with her. She sat down and pulled Danny to her shoulders to make believe that they were sitting.

"How many are enrolling?" the man behind the desk asked.

"Three," Danny said. His throat was hurting him from the unnatural tone he was using. He cleared it.

"They are how old?"

"Fifteen."

"I think they'll be very happy here," the principal said, smiling. He took out a bunch of papers and stacked them in front of Danny. "The students are all very friendly. Just sign these and we'll be on our way."

Danny picked up a pen and started to sign. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into too many obstacles.

About two dozen more forms later and Danny's legs, namely Sam, stumbled out of the office. The kids were crowding the halls as school had been called out.

"Thank goodness that's over," Danny said indistinctly. His beard hid the movements of his mouth. "I'll never stop appreciating what my parents do."

"Well, they have their history to draw from, we had to start from scratch," Sam whispered back. "I just hope he won't notice anything too strange."

"Sorry," Danny said to a boy he bumped into. He then directed his attention to Sam. "Everything about us was strange."

"I meant about the forms."

"I knew that."

"Now come on. We better get out of here before Tucker tells everyone he's a Yankee's fan."

"What's wrong with being a Yankee's fan?" Danny sounded affronted.

"Nothing. It'll just sound odd."

Danny and Sam came out of the building to see Tucker talking to a group of people. Their friend brightened on seeing them. "Oh, hey!"

The disguised pair of friends continued towards the small group. Danny wondered at the orange hair one of the teens was sporting. Surely that shade of hair couldn't possibly be natural?

"How'd it go?" Tucker asked.

"You're enrolled," Danny said. "Making new friends?"

Tucker nodded and an auburn-haired girl with a rather…_well-endowed_ chest said brightly, "Welcome to Karakura High School."

Tucker grinned. "Thanks. You'll see my siblings around here, too."

'_Siblings?_' Danny thought, mentally groaning. '_Come on, Tucker! We don't look anything alike!_'

Upon receiving an impatient tug from Sam, Danny said, "It was nice meeting you all." He cleared his throat; it was _really_ uncomfortable talking like this. "Come on, let's go."

Danny pushed Tucker away from the group of friends.

"Why'd you tell them we're _siblings_?" Sam hissed. "We look nothing alike!"

"Sam, there's such a thing as _adoption_, you know," Tucker hissed back. "Besides, how else are we supposed to explain coming in at the same time?"

"We would've—" Distracted as she was arguing with Tucker, Sam stumbled over a crack in the pavement and fell over.

Danny remained in the air for a moment before falling down, too, pulled over by the coat.

"Ow!" Danny grunted, forgetting to use his deep voice. "Watch where you're stepping, Sam."

"Shut up," Sam said fiercely.

"You okay?" Danny heard someone say.

He pushed up his sunglasses inconspicuously and took the orange-haired guy's hand. He grabbed Sam's shoulder with his other hand and helped her stand up.

"Er, yes, thank you," Danny thanked him.

He brushed his coat off and took off as fast as he could without pushing Sam over again. Tucker followed him. They rounded a corner before taking off the coat and revealing the odd-looking pair. Sam moved out from under Danny's legs and he alighted on the ground. He transformed back and took off his moustache and beard.

"You know, you should keep that. It looks cool on you," Tucker said.

Danny glared at him, eyes flashing green.

"Or, maybe not." Tucker backed off.

"Getup aside, is there anything else you told them back there?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, Sam," Tucker said, insulted. "I'm not stupid. What'd you expect me to say? 'Hi, we're secretly a group of ghost fighting teens from Amity Park, USA. We have no clue how we got to Japan and how we can read your language. How you doing?' "

Danny stifled a snort and even Sam cracked a smile.

"Good, you're smiling." Tucker pushed his beret back on his head. "Where are we going to stay?"

"I've got that covered." Sam held up a wallet. "I just need to convert my dollars to Japanese currency and we're covered. Plus…" She pulled out a credit card. "…I've got a credit card."

"So, where are we going to convert that?" Danny asked.

"Just dress up again and take me to the airport. I'll cover it from there."

"Oh no." Danny backed up. "That's all you. I'm not dressing up in that outfit again."

"Oh yes you are!"

"No! Get that off me!"

Rolling his eyes, Tucker pulled out his PDA and turned it on. '_Clueless._'

* * *

**So...readers, is this better? (Those of you that are just dropping in, thank God you didn't have to read the old version. Those of you that did, I humbly thank you for sticking through it.)  
**


	3. Ghost Kid

******Thanks to _Hordak's Pupil, Miss Captain-Mad Dog Vane, NarutoPhantom, Cross177, mimifoxlove, Synneofthesun_, and _MaStEr-Of-YoUr-FaTe_ for reviewing! I think _Synneofthesun_ reviewed twice…. (grins) Thanks for the two reviews!**

******EDIT (10/17/11):** Like with the last chapter, I rewrote significant parts here. Some parts, like the POV changes in the middle of scenes, are annoying but are things I can't fix easily without rewriting the whole thing.******  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach_ nor _Danny Phantom._**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Ghost Kid**

* * *

"Just fill out these forms," the woman behind the desk said, pushing a stack of papers to a disguised Danny.

He groaned mentally, picked up a pen, and started signing. The apartment complex they were looking at was really a complete dump and the only thing they could afford considering their limited budget. The only reason they probably even had to sign so many sheets of paper was because the owners didn't want anyone suing them for the ceiling falling in on their heads.

'_From what I remember, Japanese is from right to left and also goes up to down,_' Danny thought, scribbling through yet another form. '_How is it that I'm seeing it like regular English?_' He looked up at the woman through the shades of his glasses. '_How is she seeing me writing?_'

Tucker was watching him interestedly.

Leading up to the point where they were renting an apartment, they had gone to the airport after Sam had forced Danny into adult gear again and transferred Sam's dollars to Japanese currency without too much problem. For some odd reason, though, her credit card had refused to work. As a result, Danny and Tucker had to chip in with the small amount of money they had.

The end result? They had a lot less money to spend than they felt comfortable with.

"Finished," Danny said about ten minutes later. He pushed the stack of papers back to the woman and put down the pen. "Which room?"

"Apartment sixteen," the woman said, handing Danny keys. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks." Danny stood up. '_We'll try and enjoy our stay as much as possible considering the entire place looks like it's about to fall down at any moment._'

Sam took him outside and they undressed once out of sight.

"Now, to apartment sixteen," Danny said.

"When does school start tomorrow?" Tucker inquired as they made their way through the maze of apartments.

"Eight," Danny said absently. He stopped in front of a beaten up door. "Here it is. Let's just get inside before anyone notices we're alone."

The apartment stepped inside was, if possible, even worse than the hallway they'd walked through. The walls looked slightly greenish, though this was debatable since it seemed the paint was also green (it made Danny ill just looking at it) and the furniture in the room was covered with grime and looked like it would collapse if someone were to glare at it.

"So, who's up for dinner?" Sam said brightly as she inspected the kitchen. The sink was full of rust and the fridge seemed like it had seen better days. Some of the cabinets were missing doors.

"You can cook?" Danny brushed some dust off the sofa. "Better question, how did this place pass the safety inspection?"

"From what I can see, I don't think this place is actively registered as an apartment complex," Tucker offered, looking up from his PDA. "It might be an oversight."

"Not registered?" Danny furrowed his brow in confusion.

"In answer to your other question, of course I can cook. I'm a girl," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "We just need to get some supplies. Would you mind running some errands for me?"

"I'm a boy and can cook," Danny pointed out.

"No offense, Danny, but last time you cooked, the steak attacked us," Tucker said, wiping the grime off the TV with a hand. He winced upon seeing that the screen was cracked. "Now that's just sad," he muttered.

"Hey, that was my dad's grill!" Danny said defensively. "It was coated with ectoplasm and I didn't notice."

"Still, you go out, take this cash, and run some errands, okay? Just get vegetables and fruits." Sam shoved a basket into Danny's hands.

"Hey! I don't eat veggies!" Tucker protested. He sneezed as he flopped down onto the sofa, raising a cloud of dust. The springs creaked threateningly but the sofa held up.

"Fine, get veggies, fruits, _and_ meat for the carnivore over there," Sam said, making a gagging sound. "Just so you know, I'm not cooking that."

"Shouldn't I be getting prepackaged and cheap stuff?" Danny asked. "We don't have that much cash on us."

"We do need nutritious food," Sam said, turning the sink faucet on. The faucet gave a rumbling noise before it spurted water into the air in a gushing fountain. Sam gave a small yelp and shut it off before it could make a further mess.

Danny and Tucker stared at the decrepit sink and a soggy Sam.

Danny decided to take his leave before something decided to go bad on him. "Erm…I'll be going now."

* * *

"Ichigooo!" an annoying voice whined.

The orange-haired teenager neatly side-stepped the flying stuffed animal. It crashed into the door.

"Hey, Kon," Ichigo said, throwing his backpack onto the bed. "You didn't get washed again, did you?"

"No, I hid under the bed." Kon, or in other words, a yellow stuffed lion, jumped onto the bed and brushed off a dust ball. "When is nee-san coming home?"

"I dunno. Ask Soul Society. They haven't been in touch with us for ages. Leave me alone and go bug someone else. I've got homework to do." Ichigo pulled out an English textbook and sat down at his desk.

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Don't yell. Yuzu has already asked me why I'm talking to myself up here."

Kon snorted and accused him, "You never let me do anything anymore!"

Ichigo sighed and whirled around on his chair to face the annoying stuffed animal. "Why should I? Whenever you do you either soil my reputation by hitting on girls or by completely wrecking my room. Last time, you busted my window."

"Onii-chan!" A little girl with blonde hair opened her big brother's room door. She was wearing an apron and holding a duster in one hand. "Why are you talking to yourself?"

"Uh—" Ichigo glanced at Kon, who was pretending to be an innocent stuffed animal. '_That guy is the furthest thing from an innocent animal if I ever saw one._' "I was…acting out my part in the play! Wait, sorry, not the school play. I mean a small play Inoue wants me to do."

"All right." Yuzu tromped down the stairs. "Dinner's almost ready!"

Ichigo glared at the now moving stuffed animal. "See what I mean? At least – oh, hey, Rukia." His tone was surprised.

"Nee-san?" Before Kon could turn around, a shoe stepped onto him.

A dark-haired girl with violet eyes in a school uniform sat down on Ichigo's bed. She was small and slim. No one would suspect that she was really a shinigami in a gigai.

"What's up with Soul Society?" Ichigo asked. "Haven't heard from them for a while. Speaking of which, why are you here?"

"Soul Society hasn't gotten in touch with you because there's nothing to get in touch with you about," Rukia responded. "There's been a huge drop in the amount of hollow activity if you hadn't noticed and Aizen isn't making his whereabouts known."

"Speaking of hollow activity, did you recruit a new white-haired kid into a shinigami?"

"No, why?"

"There was a hollow during school," Ichigo explained, "and when I went to take care of it, I saw this floating kid pummeling it to a pulp."

"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?" Rukia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For the last time, yes!" Ichigo said, annoyed. "Why does everyone refuse to take me for my word? Inoue already asked me if it was Toushirou, and last I remember, the kid doesn't wear jumpsuits."

"It may be a lost spirit," Rukia said thoughtfully. "Next time you see him, try a konsou."

Ichigo scratched his hair. "I'll try. Can't make any guarantees, though. I saw him use some flashy green magic stuff from his hands that Ishida insisted was a kidou."

"No kidou is green," Rukia objected.

"That's what I said!" Ichigo paused and then continued slowly, "But if that wasn't a kidou, and you didn't recruit any shinigamis lately, what is he?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

The two remained in silence for a few moments, absorbing the new information. That is, until Kon decided to try to grope Rukia.

"Ow!"

"Hmph!"

"Onii-chan! Why are you talking to yourself again?"

"Err…I'm still acting!"

"Acting?" A giggle was heard.

"Oh, shut up…"

* * *

"School!" Tucker hummed, frying some bacon on the stove. It hadn't blown up on him yet, which he thought was a plus. Besides, he figured Danny could always freeze the flames if it happened.

"School," Danny repeated sleepily, yawning. Then, "Oh my God! _School_!"

"Relax, Danny, it's just another day of school," Tucker said, giving the bacon a prod to be sure it was ready.

"School in Japan you mean!" Danny rushed to the closet before remembering there weren't any clothes in there and that he really shouldn't open the door since it fell on him the last time he did. "Hey, Sam! Do you have any uniforms?"

"No, I think the principal said something about getting a uniform later." Sam appeared in the bedroom doorway, a brush in one hand.

"He did? I don't remember that."

"He called up earlier," Sam said, running it through her tangled up hair. "For now, we'll just go the way we're dressed."

"Bacon, Danny!" Tucker sang, giving Danny a generous share.

Danny turned a shade of green that Tucker didn't know was possible. "I'm not hungry. Remembering that we have to go to school in Japan has taken away my appetite. For all I know they could be teaching martial arts!"

"I don't think they do that nowadays, Danny," Sam said, sitting down at the table and reaching for an apple. "Besides, you could use the training if they did."

"Guess you're right." Danny relaxed. "What's our cover story?"

"Transfer students from another school," Sam said, pulling out a notepad. "I stayed up researching names for us using Tucker's PDA."

"What's wrong with our names the way they are now?"

"They're _American_, Danny," Sam said.

"The last time I checked, we were living in a global community," Danny shot back.

"You gave the cover story of our family already being here for a couple of generations," Sam pointed out. "That means our parents would have given us Japanese names. If we stick with American names, it'll seem too suspicious."

Danny sighed, giving it up. "All right. What'd you pick?"

Sam flipped through the pad. "I'll be going by Yabun. Tucker, you'll be Yori. And, Danny, Shikyo."

"Why do you guys have names starting with 'y' and I have a name starting with 's'?" Danny asked.

Sam narrowed her eyes, though the smirk pulling at her lips showed she wasn't serious. "You have a problem with what I picked?"

"No." Danny waved a hand and looked out the window. "Sorry. Just tired."

In the meantime, Tucker was busily shoveling down food into his mouth.

Sam flipped the notepad closed. "Danny, if you go ghost, you should probably take the name Fantomu."

That caught Danny's attention. "Fantomu? How does that match the emblem on my suit? And why Fantomu?"

"It means 'phantom' in Japanese," Sam explained.

"Isn't anything we say already Japanese?"

"It's like calling yourself Phantom in English, Danny," Sam said, leaning back in her chair. It gave an ominous creak and she hastily straightened. "As for your emblem, make something up about that." She picked up her purple backpack from the floor and threw in the Fenton Thermos.

"Don't open that," Danny warned, swinging his own backpack onto his back. "It's still got that ghost in there."

"What ghost? There was nothing there!"

"There so was!" Danny argued. "Gimme that." He opened Sam's backpack and grabbed the thermos. "I need it more than you do anyway."

"Hey, guys? It's seven-fifty," Tucker said nervously, glancing at the electronic clock over the TV. It was just about the only electronic gizmo that worked since he'd messed around with it the other day.

Danny transformed in a blaze of bluish-white light, grabbed his friends around the waists, and flew them out of the window.

Just in time, they arrived at the school and hid somewhere while Danny transformed back. They walked in, totally normal except for the fact that they were dressed totally different.

"I'm hoping that this school doesn't have bullies," Danny muttered, holding in his hand a slip of paper that told him where his locker was.

"It probably does but this time no one knows you!" Tucker said excitedly. "Do you know what means?"

Danny looked at him, confused. "What?"

"You can so totally kick their butts!"

"I guess," Danny said tentatively. "It wouldn't hurt to simply dodge."

Sam rolled her eyes and mumbled something about "boys".

Their first class, as it turned out, was English, making the trio wonder just how they were going to pull this off if everything already seemed like it _was_ English. They filed into three adjacent desks and sat down, relieved to have gotten through without anyone picking on them. That is, until the teacher called on them.

"We have three new students transferring in today," the teacher said, adjusting her glasses. "Please stand up front here."

Blushing, Danny and his friends got up to stand by the teacher. She finished writing their names on the board and turned back to the class.

"Would you mind telling us some more about you?" the teacher asked.

Danny thought for a moment before opening his mouth. "Erm, hi. My name is Shikyo Manson and…er…I'm not really any good at doing introductions." The class laughed and he blushed.

Sam rolled her eyes and said, "As you can see on the board, I'm Yori Manson. I am an ultra-recyclo vegetarian and Goth. If you don't like it, tough. I'm here to stay so live with it." She pulled Tucker's red beret down onto his face and tugged Danny's black hair. "We're siblings but best friends. You mess with one of us and you mess with all of us." She shot the class a blindingly white smile. "Got it?"

Tucker gave a discreet cough. "I'm Yabun Manson. I'm really good with technology so if you ever need a hand with a computer or something I'm your guy." He gave a thumbs up and grinned.

"Thank you," the teacher said. "You can take your seats now. Where you were sitting before is fine."

As they headed back to their seats, Danny caught the eye of an orange-haired teenager. He recognized the teen as the one Tucker had been talking to the other day. At the same time, he remembered seeing that glimpse of orange on the rooftops.

'_Strange but…eh, don't be stupid._' As Danny's luck would have it, he was sitting right next to said orange-haired teenager.

For the next few hours, the trio found themselves enjoying the Japanese school. It wasn't all that different from their own school, with the exception of the lack of ghosts, and the fact that they taught English (which they didn't have any trouble with even though _everything_ seemed to be English to them). Before they knew it, it was time for lunch.

"You know," Tucker admitted, slamming his lunch box onto the table, "school here isn't too bad."

"You're right. I was actually really worried but it's interesting." Danny opened his bag to get out a sandwich.

"Hi," a quiet voice said from behind them. They turned around to see the same girl from yesterday smiling shyly. "My name is Inoue Orihime. I think we met yesterday," she directed her last phrase to Tucker, who gulped.

"Yeah, we did!" he said eagerly. "And you never did – ow!" He winced as Danny elbowed him hard.

"Stop hitting on the girls," Danny said.

"If you hadn't done that, I would've," an orange-haired teenager said. "My name's Kurosaki Ichigo. What're yours again?"

"Uh—" It took Danny a moment to remember. "My name's Shikyo Manson."

Kurosaki Ichigo – was Ichigo his last name or first name? Danny really couldn't tell – raised an eyebrow. "Um, okay."

Danny shrugged, not knowing what was so confusing for the other boy. After a moment's thought he remembered that Japanese names were given backwards, meaning that Ichigo was the other boy's first name. That also meant that he'd given his name backwards. Whoops… "My other friend's name is Yabun and this here"—he yanked Tucker's beret—"is Yori. Don't get him ranting on his techno stuff or you'll be dozing off before you know it."

"Pleased to meet you." Ichigo motioned to the girl next to him. "Inoue you already know. But that tall, skinny guy over there is Ishida Uryuu"—he pointed to the dark-haired youth behind him—"and the broad-shouldered, muscle guy is Sado Yasutora." The huge man with a shock of brown hair nodded as his name was called.

"Uh, hi," Danny said faintly.

"Did you forget to mention me, Ichigo?" a dark-haired girl asked. Her violet eyes glimmered. "My name's Kuchiki Rukia."

"Oh, hey, Rukia. Didn't see you there."

Sam gave the other kids a broad smile that eerily gave them the creeps and said, "Hi, as you already know, Shikyo is rather shy. Do you mind showing us the ropes?"

Ichigo was staring at Danny strangely and said absently, "Guess it's all right, Yabun."

"Are there any bullies here?" Tucker asked.

"No, surprisingly not." Uryuu pushed his glasses up onto his nose. "You won't have much trouble with those and if you do, Kurosaki can take care of it for you."

"You don't have to advertise it, Ishida," Ichigo said crossly.

Privately, Danny wondered why they were calling each other by their last names. Was it some sort of game?

"Well, why not, Ichigo?" Rukia said playfully. "You're rather fun to mess with."

"Does that mean you've got muscles?" Tucker inquired.

Danny snorted and said, "You're still dreaming, T-Yori. You can't build up your muscles that quickly."

"How'd you know what I was thinking?"

"We've been f-siblings for a long time, Yori," Danny said, smiling. "It'd be weird if I couldn't tell what my brother was thinking."

'_Now that's just weird,_' Tucker thought, taking a bite from his meat sandwich. Sam grimaced as she saw him eat it. '_I'm gonna have to get used to my new name…and the fact that I'm now Danny's brother._'

"You wouldn't happen to know today's date would you?" Sam asked casually.

"It's March nineteenth," Sado – Danny had already forgotten the guy's first name – answered.

Danny choked on his piece of bread and Tucker banged his back. He spat it out and gasped, "March nineteenth?"

"Is there something unusual about that?" Ichigo asked.

"Uh, no. My friend just has an important appointment today," Sam made up hurriedly.

"Doctor," Danny muttered. He shared a panicked look with Sam.

Rukia raised an eyebrow but was prevented from asking any more questions by the school bell. The group said good-bye and made their way to their next class, leaving the other three still sitting at the table.

"I could've sworn it was September," Danny whispered to his friends as they packed their bags. "How does that explain your theory of it only taking a couple of days?"

"I don't know." Sam frowned, bending under the table under the guise of getting something. Danny bent down, pretending to help her. "It makes no sense whatsoever."

"It would make sense if we were in an alternate dimension," Tucker said out of the corner of his mouth. Danny and Sam gave him blank looks. "What? I'm just saying."

"It's a possibility," Danny admitted grudgingly. "Let's just go before we make a bad impression on these teachers, too."

"Good point."

Sam and Danny ran outside, leaving Tucker alone and finishing of the last of his sandwich. It took him a couple of minutes to realize that he had been left alone.

"Hey!" He grabbed his bag and ran out after his friends. "No fair!"

"Saved you a seat," Danny said, pointing to the desk next to him.

"Gee, thanks," Tucker grumbled.

For the next half an hour, the friends immersed themselves in Japanese history, a refreshing change from the regular American history that they normally had to listen to. It might've helped that the teacher wasn't as boring or pot-bellied as Mr. Lancer had been.

It happened during the invasion of the samurais. Danny's ghost sense went off abruptly at the same time as a loud voice did.

"HOLLOW! HOLLOW!"

Danny jumped straight into the air as he tried to register both the loud noise and his ghost sense at the same time. What happened was that he fell straight off his chair onto the ground. He thought he saw the chair which belonged to Ichigo also shake a little as its owner jumped.

"Manson, are you all right?"

It took Danny a minute to realize that his new name was Manson and he answered, "Uh, yeah. Sorry. By the way, could I go to the bathroom?"

He said the last bit at the same time as Ichigo. Both teenagers looked at each other, confused.

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Make it quick."

Danny mouthed "ghost" to his friends, who nodded. He tried to get the through the door as Ichigo also reached it. They banged into each other and Danny hit the bookshelf next to the door. He steadied it as Ichigo ran through without another word.

"Uh—"

Danny cut the teacher off, "Be right back."

He pelted through the door, leaving a very confused teacher and class staring at the door. Sam and Tucker looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

Danny practically flew through the hall to the bathroom, locked himself in a stall, and quietly went ghost. He then phased himself through the ceiling and came out of the roof of the school. He looked around and couldn't see a ghost.

"Where's the ghost?" Danny scratched his hair. He smacked himself on the forehead. "I can't believe I forgot my thermos!" He went back down into the school just as a certain orange-haired shinigami made it out.

"Another hollow already? They just love to make it hard for me, don't they?" Ichigo complained, jumping into the air. He then started to walk on the air.

He was suddenly sent stumbling through the air when a black and white blur sped past him.

"What the—?" Ichigo looked at the retreating figure, which made a sudden right turn. "Who's that?"

"Who was that?" Danny was also asking as he saw another masked monster. "It looked like Ichigo but that can't be. Still…" He dodged the hand of the monster. "…there are not many other people with orange hair out there."

He started to fire a barrage of ghost rays at the monster. This one was, however, tougher than the last he had fought and retaliated by sending Danny crashing into a building. People stared at him, petrified, and then ran straight out of the building, screaming bloody murder.

"AAAAH!"

A kid stayed behind, flashed a picture, and fled before Danny could say anything.

"Great. Sam's right. I've gotta be more careful," Danny muttered.

He was about to fly out to attack the weird monster when an orange-haired darkly-clad boy with a huge sword attacked the head. The monster disappeared gradually, howling all the while.

"Weird," Danny muttered again. He flew out.

"Hey, you!" Danny screeched to a halt and turned to the teenager who had addressed him.

"Déjà vu," Danny mumbled, shaking his head. The guy could've been a clone of Ichigo. "Who're you?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute shinigami," the guy replied. Okay, so it was Ichigo.

"Hang on, _you're_ Ichigo?" Danny blurted out.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

"Uh, nothing," Danny said quickly. "So, what's a shinigami?"

"You're not a spirit, are you?"

"I'm a ghost," Danny corrected. '_Well, half-ghost technically but I'm not gonna tell you that._'

The term seemed to throw Ichigo slightly off. "So…" Gathering his thoughts together, Ichigo grasped the hilt of his sword, which Danny noticed was ridiculously big. "You're gonna have to cross over."

"And why do I have to do that?" Danny was freaked out. No one, not even his parents, had said that to him.

"'Cause you're a spirit. Well…" Ichigo gave him a weird look. "…you look like one anyway. Although how you're solid is beyond me."

"AAAH! A floating kid!" someone shrieked on the ground. Crashing sounds could be heard as cars crashed together.

"Eh heh," Danny chuckled nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, look, it's been nice chatting with you and all that but I've really got to go before the whole town freaks out." He pointed down to several smoking car wrecks that had just occurred. The occupants of which were staring up at him, wide-eyed. "I'm already attracting unwanted attention."

Before Ichigo could say anything, Danny turned around and sped off.

"WAIT!" Ichigo called, rather belatedly. "Oh, damn it! I forgot to do a konsou on him!" He looked down at the mess below him. "How'd those people see him anyway?" Ichigo then realized something. "_Kuso_! School!" He vanished from view and reappeared some distance away.

* * *

"So, was there a ghost?" Sam asked Danny as they walked home from their first day at Japanese school.

"Yeah, if you could call it that. It was the same one from the other day," he replied.

"You mean the one that wasn't there?"

"Ha ha. Very funny," Danny said, annoyed. "There _was_ a ghost for the last time. You couldn't see it."

"Sure, we've heard it all before," Tucker interrupted. He stopped to stare, open-mouthed, at the scene before him. "Wow. Don't tell me you did this, Danny."

"Err—" Danny observed the chaotic mess before him. It was the area where he had tried to fight the weird monster. "I didn't do it. At least, not directly. They all started screaming when they saw ghost me so they crashed into each other."

Sam sighed. "You know, I think I'm the only one who understands the meaning of subtlety here."

"I wasn't the only one there!" Danny defended himself. "Ichigo was there, too! Or at least, someone who looked like Ichigo. He did have orange hair…and he had the same name…"

Sam studied her friend and finally said, "You need medication."

Danny groaned in frustration and marched right past a certain group of other teens.

"White-haired kid," he could hear one of them saying. Danny whirled around to see Ichigo talking to his friends.

"See, he's talking about me, too!" Danny said to his friends.

"Uh—" Sam and Tucker started to back up. Tucker added, "See a doctor, Danny. We won't blame you."

Danny rolled his eyes and marched up to Ichigo. He came up to the other teenager's shoulder. He then spoke, making Ichigo jump three feet into the air.

"Hey, did you see a white-haired kid flying around here?" Danny said it in a casual voice, not wanting to give anything away.

"I think everyone here did." Danny caught something in other boy's tone. Was it wariness?

"Good. My friends here"—he jerked a thumb to said friends—"don't believe me when I say I saw him flying around fighting a weird masked monster."

Ichigo's eyes widened and he glanced back at his friends. '_He can see spirits?_'

"D-Shikyo!" Sam said, exasperated. "Do you _have_ to go asking everyone that?"

"I didn't ask everyone that, S-Yabun!"

"Sure."

"I mean it!" someone was yelling. All the kids turned their heads to see a guy being cornered by some policemen. "There was a white-haired kid who just burst through the wall! He _flew_ away!"

"Now, sir," a police man said calmly. "Just relax. We'll be taking you somewhere safe."

"I'm not crazy!"

"Smooth, Danny," Sam muttered. "You just made the police label that man crazy for life."

"Told you," Danny could've sworn he heard Ichigo mumble to his friends.

"I didn't make the police label the man 'crazy', Sam. Jeez. All I did was burst through a wall and…cause several accidents," the halfa finished rather lamely. "Okay, I did do something bad. Note to self, stay invisible from now on," he whispered the last part to himself.

"Yeah. You did do something bad," Sam agreed.

"Hey, uh, Shikyo, why are you calling each other different names?" Ichigo asked.

"Er, whaddya mean?" Danny's breath caught in his throat.

"I could've sworn I thought I caught the words Sam and Danny."

"Oh yeah!" Sam jumped in, shooting Danny a glare that could've killed on the spot. "We're playacting."

"Playacting?" Uryuu wondered.

"Yep! Our parents want us to act out."

"You should act, too," Tucker said to Orihime. He was hit on the head by both Danny and Ichigo. "OW!"

"Shikyo," Sado said in his deep voice, "don't you have a doctor's appointment today?"

Danny's eyes widened as he remembered what had happened earlier. "Oh yeah! Thanks for reminding me! Come on, S-Yabun, Yori."

He grabbed his best friends and ran off into a…alley?

"Okay." Ichigo blinked once and then turned to his friends. "Anyone else noticed?"

"Noticed that the three seem especially jumpy and make up excuses that don't make much sense? Yup, I noticed," Rukia said. She changed the subject. "So, Ichigo, you were saying that they could see the kid?"

"Yeah. I thought it wasn't possible."

"It isn't," Uryuu interjected, pushing his glasses up on his nose. Ichigo resisted the urge to retort.

"A slim chance," Rukia muttered, "a very slim chance."

"What's that?" The others all paid her special attention.

"A slim chance in this case is like, close to zero," Rukia explained. "He could have unusually high reiatsu, which makes him visible to everyone else."

"So, what about the taichous of Soul Society?" Orihime asked. "They should be visible, too, in that case."

"He could have higher reiatsu than all of them combined. What exactly did he say to you, Ichigo?"

Ichigo furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "He said… I asked him if he was a spirit and he said that he was a ghost. Weird thing was, he didn't know what a shinigami is."

"A spirit who didn't know what a shinigami is?" Uryuu repeated.

"That's what I said."

Silence reigned in the group.

"And I thought my dad was weird…"

* * *

**Can anyone guess why Ichigo was looking at Danny so strangely? I know the answer but it won't be revealed until waaay later. For those of you wondering, it was Ichigo who said the last bit.**


	4. Startling Developments

**Thanks to_ Cross177, Synneofthesun, mimifoxlove, FantomoDrake, Hordak's Pupil, headstuckupintheclouds, Miss Captain-Mad Dog Vane, PLC The CD, MaStEr-Of-YoUr-FaTe, NarutoPhantom, Belthasar, Bored2Deth, SpartanCommander_, and _Piece of Toast_ for reviewing!**

******DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.**

******EDIT (10/18/11): **Quite a few changes in this chapter to make things more logical. Also edited dialogue to make Ichigo more IC.******  
**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Startling Developments**

* * *

Ichigo stared out the window during school. He couldn't get the new kids out of his mind: Shikyo, Yabun, and Yori. It was just plain weird. Who would have a name like Shikyo? Oddly enough, the name Yabun suited the girl.

Ichigo glanced over at the black-haired boy sitting next to him.

He couldn't believe that the kids were really Japanese. For one thing, their eyes didn't really fit the criteria since most Japanese had brown eyes. For another, they all had weird accents even though they spoke Japanese. When asked about it, Yabun would say something about their great-great-great grandparents being from America. That would explain why Shikyo introduced himself American-style…

You also couldn't help but notice the odd slip here and there. Shikyo would now and then address one of his friends with a different beginning and then realize his mistake before covering it up. Yabun said it was "playacting" but Ichigo suspected it was much more than that. Also, Shikyo had been eyeing Ichigo strangely as of late. Rukia had gone back to Soul Society to report the new kid in town that apparently was attacking hollows and that normal people could see him. Everything was back to normal as no one remembered who she was.

At least, that was what Ichigo thought. At lunch, he got a surprise from Shikyo.

"Hey, Ichigo," Shikyo said. "I couldn't help but notice but Rukia isn't here today. Is she sick or something?"

That was another weird thing. Shikyo addressed him with such familiarity even though they barely knew each other.

Yabun smacked the boy on his head. "There is no Rukia, D-Shikyo!"

There was one of those odd slipups again.

Shikyo rolled his eyes and smiled nervously at Ichigo.

Ichigo decided to reply, "Who's Rukia?" After all, it'd be kinda weird if he said something about Rukia if no one else remembered her.

"But—" Shikyo was dragged away by his two friends.

Ichigo decided to eavesdrop a little bit. He subtly shifted over slightly on his seat so that he was closer to the trio. None of his friends were around as they were all in different classes.

"For the last time, Danny!" Ichigo could hear Yabun hiss. "There's no Rukia!"

'_Why'd she call him Danny?_' Ichigo's brow was furrowed in confusion.

"That's what you said about that weird monster I fought, Sam," Shikyo, or Danny, replied in a low voice.

'_Sam?_'

"That's 'cause there was nothing there!"

"Oh sure, the building fell in on itself."

"You're hopeless. Now you're spreading rumors about some Rukia."

"Didn't you hear her introduce herself along with Ichigo and the others? Don't tell me I dreamed up Ichigo, too! He's sitting right over there." Ichigo saw Shikyo shoot him a suspicious look and pretended to be really engrossed in a lettuce leaf in his lunch box. He had to strain his ears to catch the next part, "Besides, I'm positive the guy who called himself a 'shinigami' also introduced himself as Kurosaki Ichigo."

"There could dozens of other kids named Ichigo, Danny," Yori interrupted.

"Yeah, but not with orange hair, Tuck."

'_Um, what's up with that name? This is totally weird. And how the hell does Shikyo, or Danny, or whatever his name is, know that I'm a shinigami? The only kid that was there was that weird floating spirit who called himself a ghost._'

"'Sides, the guy was _floating._"

"You float," Yabun pointed out.

"I give up." Shikyo, or Danny, or whatever his name was as Ichigo was totally confused by now, put up his hands in defeat, grabbed his bag, and marched outside.

"Sam? Have you made an appointment with the doctor? I think Danny seriously needs one. He probably hit his head too hard," Yori said, dropping his voice so low that Ichigo had to lean all the way over to listen.

"Oh, Yori, I have no idea what you're talking about," Yabun said chirpily.

"You okay?" Yori seemed taken aback. "You're not normally this…chipper."

Ichigo could've sworn that he saw Yabun roll her eyes before pulling the other boy closer in to whisper into his ear. Yori's eyes widened and he nodded before whispering,

"Sorry, Yabun. I'll tell D – I mean, Shikyo about it."

'_What was that about?_' Ichigo thought. He realized too late that he was sitting on the edge of his seat. The orange-haired teen found himself jarring his shoulder roughly on the floor before he knew it as he fell off his seat with a loud clatter.

Yabun and Yori jumped before staring at him suspiciously. They crept out of the room before Ichigo could confront them about what they had been talking about. He got up, brushed himself off, and ran outside to tell his friends.

* * *

Sam rolled her eyes and leaned in close to whisper into Tucker's ear, "Stop saying my real name! I think Ichigo is eavesdropping on us. We should anyway be addressing each other by our Japanese names as yesterday they already asked us about it. I felt stupid saying that we were playacting."

Tucker's eyes widened and he nodded. Then he whispered back, "Sorry, Yabun. I'll tell D – I mean, Shikyo about it."

They were interrupted from their whispery conversation by a loud clatter as a certain orange-haired teen fell off his chair and onto the floor.

"Quick, Yori," Sam hissed. "Let's go before he notices."

They both left, but not before both of them shot the boy suspicious glances. They didn't even notice said boy leaving the room after them.

"Shikyo!" Tucker called over the lawn. They had found Danny outside, leaning against the trunk of a tree.

"What now?" Danny asked in a bored voice. "You decided to take me for my word or not?"

"Not quite but you're right about Ichigo," Sam said. "Something's weird about him. I could've sworn he was eavesdropping on us earlier."

"The guy calls himself a shinigami and you just now think he's weird?" Danny muttered, folding his hands behind his raven-black hair.

"What's a shinigami anyway, S-Yabun?" Tucker inquired.

"It's supposed to be a death god," Sam answered. "But they're mythological creatures of Japanese folklore."

Danny snickered. "You go up against ghosts and you doubt the existence of a shinigami?"

"He's got a point, Yabun."

"The guy was _standing_ _in midair,_ guys. If that's not weird, I don't know what is."

"You said 'guy', twice," Tucker pointed out.

Danny shot him an annoyed look.

"Okay, point is, the guy is weird and we have to, oh, stop it, Yori," Sam snapped. Tucker was miming the word "guys". "Anyway, as I was saying, we have to do something about it before he blows our cover."

"It's not as if we had much of a cover to begin with." Danny blew some grass blades into the air. "Oh yeah. Did I tell you the lady who gave us the apartment wants to see how we're doing?"

Silence reigned.

Then a loud, "WHAT?"

* * *

"Okay, how do you explain _this_?" Ichigo said to his friends.

"Explain what?" Uryuu raised an eyebrow.

"Explain that Shikyo knows I'm a shinigami! And that they keep calling him Danny…"

"I can't explain why they call him Danny but I _can_ offer an explanation as to how he knows you're a shinigami." Uryuu pushed up his glasses and said blandly, "He saw you fighting a hollow."

"But what _doesn't_ make sense is the way he said I introduced myself! I don't recall myself introducing my shinigami form to anyone but that floating white-haired kid!"

"He could've overheard you, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime offered.

"That's a good point," Ichigo admitted. "But do you know what he called that other kid? _Tuck. _He called him _Tuck._"

"I don't see what's so strange about that, Ichigo," Chad said.

"Tuck your shirt in, Ishida," Ichigo said suddenly.

Uryuu actually did check his shirt. "Hey! My shirt isn't – oh very clever, Kurosaki." He looked annoyed. "I now understand what's so strange about it."

Ichigo ignored his friend's annoyance. "And know what else? He noticed that Rukia's gone missing," he said. The others all raised eyebrows at this. "That kid's got reiryoku, all right. I remember being confused when Inoue first consulted me about Rukia after she'd been taken in by Soul Society."

"Who's Rukia, Ichigo?" an annoying voice cut in. Asano Keigo, another of Ichigo's friends but a weird one, draped his arm around the frowning teenager. "Girlfriend?"

"Nope. And do you mind? We're kinda talking on a private note here."

"Aw, come on, Ichigo!" Keigo whined. "You never—"

"Ichigo," a new voice cut in. Everyone whirled around to see Shikyo standing there. "We need to talk."

"Er, about what?"

"You know."

"Actually I don't," Ichigo said, trying to be casual and failing utterly. He kind of sounded like he didn't want to answer any questions at all.

Shikyo raised an eyebrow. "We can talk in private if you want," he suggested.

"Go do that, Kurosaki!" Uryuu jumped in. He draped an arm around Keigo's shoulder like they were best friends. "We'll talk together like we're best buddies, right, Keigo, old pal?"

"Huh?" Orihime blinked.

"Eh? We're best buddies?" Keigo looked puzzled.

"Since when?" Shikyo asked, flummoxed.

"Just go do your thing!" Uryuu grabbed Orihime and Chad, and somehow managed to get the four of them elsewhere.

'_Smooth, Ishida._'

"Okay, uh, anyway," Shikyo started, "I know you're lying about Rukia."

"No, I'm not," Ichigo denied. "There really isn't any girl such as Rukia." Ichigo paused at that, mentally running that sentence over in his head again. '_Wait, that didn't come out right._'

"Sure. And what was up with that eavesdropping thing you did to us during lunchtime?" Shikyo inquired.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ichigo said firmly.

"S-Yabun and Yori told me about it. One doesn't just fall off their chair."

Damn… So he hadn't been as inconspicuous as he would've liked to be. In any case, it didn't matter. He hated subtletly and was more the charge-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy.

"All right then, Shikyo…or should I say _Danny_." Ichigo watched with satisfaction as the boy gave a startled flinch. "Yes, Danny, or whatever your name is, mind telling me why you guys seem to have something to hide?"

'_Hypocrite,_' a voice that sounded suspiciously like Rukia whispered in the back of Ichigo's mind.

Shikyo seemed to look like a deer caught in headlights. "That is…er…strictly our business and not yours." It seemed like he was weighing his words carefully. "Like Yabun said, it's…playacting."

"Playacting," Ichigo repeated skeptically.

"Yup." Shikyo nodded.

"If you're not being honest with me, I'm not going to be honest with you." Ichigo turned around but before he could take a step Shikyo muttered something.

"I can't be honest with you because you wouldn't believe it anyway."

"Did you say something?"

"No!" Shikyo started to back up. "I'm just gonna go now. See ya later!"

"Weird." Ichigo watched as Shikyo left.

He suddenly remembered something that Yabun had said to Shikyo before: _"You float."_

'_Should I have told the others that?_'

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me that she's going to check up on us?" Sam shrieked on the way back to the apartment.

Danny winced. "Sam? Screaming while we're invisible in midair is probably not a good thing. 'Sides, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. So we just dress up again, what's the problem?"

"She expects _three _kids to be there, Danny."

"And why would that be? Two of us could be shopping or something."

"We can't hide forever. It's better to get this whole thing out of the way so we _can_ do something like that later."

Danny sighed. "I can just duplicate myself. I think I can do that. It worked against Vortex."

"Great. We have identical twins living with us," Sam remarked dryly.

"No offense, Danny, but one of you is more than enough," Tucker said.

"Offense totally taken," Danny muttered, landing on the apartment roof and phasing through until landing in their apartment. He then transformed back. "According to her, she said she'd be here by four."

"That's like…in half an hour!" Sam squeaked, looking at the clock.

"It's not like we need to do anything major, Sam," Tucker said.

"Besides cleaning up the kitchen!" Sam gestured to the small mess in the sink.

"As if that'd do anything." Danny gestured towards the rest of the kitchen, which was in a dreadful state of disrepair. "I don't think she'll notice that mess compared to the fridge."

"She might not but I do." Sam thrust a duster into Danny's hands. "Clean as much as you can."

Opening his mouth to protest, Danny gave it up as a lost cause as Sam dove under the sink to try and fix whatever was wrong with the plumbing. Sharing a disgusted look with Tucker, Danny moved to the couch and inspected it. There was indent where he'd slept on it. Shaking his head, he turned to the TV and absentmindedly began dusting.

Two minutes to four, Danny was split into three different people and the real self looked a bit pale. He and Sam had dressed up again to fool the lady.

Right on four, someone knocked on the door and Sam wobbled over to it. They were in the exact same outfit they had met the woman in before.

"Hello, ma'am," Danny greeted the red-haired woman in high heels. "How are you doing?"

"Um—" The lady looked over his outfit with a raised eyebrow but apparently decided not to comment. "Manson-san?" Upon receiving a nod she continued, "I just came in to check up on you." She looked behind him and seemed to brighten up. "Ah. I see you have your grandchildren here?"

"Yes," Danny said in that odd voice of his. He cleared his throat. "These are my three grandchildren. Yori, Shikyo, and—"

"Isamu," Sam hissed.

"Isamu," one of the duplicate Dannys said with a flawless smile. It actually gave Tucker the creeps.

The lady had raised an eyebrow at the second name Danny had rattled off but smiled at the "twins".

'_Why are these people confused about my name?_' Danny wondered.

"Well, Isamu, Shikyo…" She remained in thought for a moment before continuing, "How old are you two?"

"Fifteen," both said simultaneously.

Danny winced. That was one thing he hadn't pumped out of his duplicates yet. Vlad's could all act independently but some reason, his duplicates kept talking together if he didn't concentrate.

"And, Yori-kun," the lady – Danny dubbed her Landlady – said, "enjoying your stay here?"

"Yup!" Tucker said in a totally un-Japanese way. "It's great!" He was about to give Landlady a predatory grin when Danny made one of the duplicates, the Shikyo one, jab him in the side with his elbow.

"Not now, Yori!" Shikyo whispered.

Tucker feigned an injured look and retreated to the couch, beeping around on his ever-present PDA. Landlady scratched her head, confused, but passed it off as nothing.

"Is there anything we can do for you, ma'am?" Danny asked Landlady. He hoped she would get out soon. Two duplicates were getting a bit straining.

"The rent is due in three weeks," Landlady pointed out.

"Right," Danny said. He hoped Sam had something to cover that if they were still in Japan during that time. "Um, glass of water?"

"Smooth, Danny," Sam said in a low voice.

"Maybe later." Landlady sat down on the couch, which gave an ominous creak, besides Tucker, who couldn't resist giving her a peek, and started to fire questions at Danny, who was becoming more and more strained from having three separate identities to keep up.

Two hours later and several thousand questions more, Danny shakily escorted Landlady out of the apartment before closing the door. He phased through the clothes and reabsorbed the two duplicates he had created before transforming back.

"I'm outta here," Danny muttered. Before either Sam or Tucker could say anything, he fell onto the couch he had slept on the last night and passed out.

"Um, wanna play _Doomed_?"

"We don't have a computer."

"Darn it."

* * *

**Next day. Three-thirty. In the hallways of the school.**

_CRASH!_

Books, papers, and pencils littered across the floor as the two teens collided in the hallway. One was Danny, the other Ichigo.

"Uh, heh heh." Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry, Ichigo. Er, the teach said to bring this stuff to her."

"Not a problem, Shikyo." Ichigo helped Danny gather up the stuff and watched the raven-haired halfa stagger off with the pile in his arms. '_Does he need help?_' Danny wobbled a little over to the right and crashed into a locker, sending the precarious stack in his arms flying once again. '_Guess he does._'

"Maybe I should just help you get there," Ichigo said, kneeling down once more to pick up a stray pencil.

"Yeah, that might not be such a bad idea," Danny grumbled, rubbing his sore knee, the one that had bumped into the locker.

In another few minutes, both boys had made it to the classroom. They deposited the stuff on the desk and left.

"Look, Shikyo," Ichigo said awkwardly. Danny stopped to eye the taller boy out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry about earlier."

"It's okay." Danny shrugged and closed the door behind him. "I asked for it." He passed by his locker and opened it to take out a book. "By the way, if Rukia isn't real, how come I remember you introducing yourself and Rukia, too?" He didn't seem to notice Ichigo freezing in surprise. "She also said that you're real easy to tease."

Ichigo was saved from answering with his hollow badge going off loudly. "HOLLOW! HOLLOW!"

"YAGH!" Danny jumped about three feet into the air and landed on the top of the row of lockers. Ichigo could've sworn he saw a blue mist escape from his mouth. "What is that?"

"Eh? What's what?" Ichigo tried to look innocent. He wasn't succeeding, judging by Danny's face. "Oh, look at the time, gotta fly." He tapped his imaginary watch and dashed away.

"That stupid badge again," Danny grumbled, jumping down. "If it wouldn't keep going off with my ghost sense I wouldn't react so badly." He stopped in mid-step, eyes wide. "Hang on. Going off at the same time?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "I wonder." He looked around and stepped into a locker to transform into Phantom. "It said something like, 'hollow'. Is that what those things are called?"

Danny heard footsteps coming by and turned invisible in a snap. He took out the thermos from his locker and strapped it to his back before phasing through the ceiling. After coming out of the school, his ghost sense went off again.

"Where?" Danny scanned the surrounding areas before seeing a black dot in the distance. "Ah. Guess that would be a shinigami or something. Why do they wear black anyway?"

* * *

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the sight below him. It was a small wreckage and people were cowering behind their cars, mailboxes, and a fat guy was even hiding behind a _lamppost. _Not that it would do much good anyway. And the object of fear was…

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!" the fat blue guy shouted, waving his chubby arms. "YOU SHALL ALL COWER BEFORE ME!"

"FLOATING PEOPLE, FLOATING PEOPLE!" a man screamed. "I TOLD YOU I WASN'T CRAZY!"

"That _so_ doesn't look like a hollow," Ichigo remarked, watching as the queer floating man lifted up a crate and threw it at the fat guy hiding behind the lamppost. "Everyone else can see him, too."

"Even in this strange world I have power over all things cardboard and square!" the blue thing declared.

"Er," Ichigo broke in. "Mind explaining who you are?"

The hollow or spirit turned around and glared at Ichigo. "I am the Box Ghost! Who are you to so insolently talk to me?"

"Er, Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute shinigami. And by ghost, do you mean ghost or spirit?"

"I AM A GHOST!" the Box Ghost declared defiantly. "YOUR HUGE, OVERGROWN SWORD CAN DO _NOTHING_ TO ME!"

"Hey! Zangetsu isn't overgrown!" Ichigo burst out. "And it's not a sword, it's a zanpakutou."

"What's a zanpakutou?" The spirit scratched his head.

Ichigo nearly crashed into the street in surprise. "Look, Box Ghost-san, or whoever you are, you really need to crossover. 'Sides, I have a hollow to take care of."

"A hollow cardboard box?" The Box Ghost drew himself up to his full height, which wasn't much. "How dare you!"

"Not a hollow box," Ichigo said, wondering if the spirit was insane. "I mean a huge, ugly, masked monster that feeds on reiryoku. Haven't you ever seen anything like that?"

"Masked monster?" The Box Ghost assumed a thoughtful pose. "There's a huge overgrown wolf—"

'_Say what?_'

"—a huge overgrown cloud—"

'_Eh?_'

"—an overgrown plant—"

'_Huh?_'

"—and me!"

'_What the—?_'

"The feared Box Ghost!" it was ranting. "There is no such thing as an overgrown masked monster! My capture reward is huge!"

"And…what is it?" Ichigo couldn't help but wonder who would want to capture such an idiot.

"Fifty dollars!" the Box Ghost announced proudly.

Ichigo would've done a face plant if it had been logical. "Wait, fifty dollars? That's not Japanese currency. Where're you from?"

"Amity Park!"

"There's no such place!" Ichigo tried to remember if there was such a place as Amity Park in Japan. "Dollars is American currency! You a foreigner?"

"_You_ are the foreigner!" the Box Ghost shouted, waving his arms and moving some crates around. "To not run before me is admirable!"

"You know, fifty dollars really isn't much…"

"HA! I have defeated Undergrowth in the race for the most wanted!"

"What's his capture reward?" '_And who the hell is Undergrowth?_'

"Um—" The Box Ghost started to count on his blue fingers. "It has six zeroes so, THREE MILLION DOLLARS!"

This time, Ichigo really did do a face plant, but in the air. '_The guy thinks fifty dollars is more than three million?_'

"NOW!" the Box Ghost yelled, raising his arms and commanding a legion of crates. "PREPARE TO FACE YOUR BOXED DOOM!"

Before Ichigo could even take off his sword, the ghost disappeared, literally. Then, he could've sworn he heard someone mutter,

"The Box Ghost has officially lost his mind… Now, where's the real monster?"

'_Hang on. Shikyo?_' Ichigo started to grope around in the air. '_Why does that voice sound so familiar?_' A certain white-haired boy flitted through his mind. '_Right. That weird kid. Wonder if he knows the stupid blue guy?_'

Danny saw Ichigo begin to grope around and turned intangible as the shinigami's hand passed through his abdomen. He had been invisible the whole time and arrived just in time to see the Box Ghost about to pelt Ichigo with an army of crates.

Ichigo groaned and said aloud, "Look, I feel really stupid saying this to thin air but, weird floating white-haired kid, are you here?"

'_Weird floating white-haired kid? That's even more insulting than Inviso-Bill!_' Danny thought indignantly.

"I did hear you say something," Ichigo muttered, stepping by Danny and nearly touching him as he scrambled around. "I just wanna talk, all right? Do you know that weird guy?"

"Unfortunately," Danny murmured in Ichigo's ear.

"Agh!" Ichigo jumped as a disembodied voice spoke.

"Relax." Ichigo thought it sounded amused. "If you want to talk just go to that office building the Box Ghost was hovering before. I don't want to cause more trouble than that dumb ghost already has."

"It's a ghost?"

"That's what I said, didn't I?" The voice was getting fainter now. Ichigo saw the white-haired kid, or ghost, reappear on the hotel.

Danny motioned for Ichigo to come over and he did, landing lightly on the roof.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?"

"What are you?"

"A ghost. Haven't you ever heard of ghosts before?"

"Spirits, yes, ghosts, never."

"Oh. What are those weird masky things?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"They're hollows." '_I need to do a konsou on this guy, but how? I did tell him I only wanted to talk._' "Oh yeah, who was that weird blue guy?"

Danny snorted. "He only shouted out his name like a hundred times. It's the Box Ghost, ruler of 'all things cardboard and square.' "

"What's your name?"

Danny remembered what Sam had told him and answered, "Fantomu."

"What's the emblem on your chest for?" '_It is kinda cool._'

'_Darn it. Gotta think fast._' "Um, it stands for…Dead…" '_Dead? Is that the best I can come up with?_' "…Person…" Danny repressed the urge to groan at his own stupidity. '_Dead Person? DEAD PERSON? What's wrong with me? He's never going to buy that._'

"Ah." '_I get a feeling that's not right._' "Nice…emblem, um, Dead Person." '_Sounds kinda corny. If I were floating around with that kind of a name I'd've killed myself. Wait. He's already dead so he probably already tried._'

"It's Fantomu," Danny insisted firmly. "The other thing sounds stupid but unfortunately, I'm stuck with it."

"It _is_ stupid."

Danny winced. '_Sam is so going to kill me as soon as I tell her what I came up with. No, scratch that, she's going to slaughter me. Wait. That's the same thing._'

Ichigo sighed and turned around. "Okay, Fantomu, nice getting to know you and all but I've got to get a hollow." He held up the badge he always carried around. "Now, if only I could turn this thing on…"

'_Hang on._' Danny flashbacked to when the badge had gone off at the same time as his ghost sense. Then he had found Ichigo about to be pummeled by the Box Ghost (there's a scary thought) and the badge wasn't going off anymore. What if? "Ichigo, was it?" The orange-haired shinigami nodded. "What if the Box Ghost was the monster?"

Ichigo snorted. "You're kidding me. That thing was the most pathetic spirit I've ever seen."

"Ghost," Danny corrected absent-mindedly. "'Sides, I've got an internal warning system, too, when it comes to these things." He gave the badge a glance. "Well, yours is external but never mind. That sense went off with the Box Ghost and if there was a holly around it would've gone off again."

"It's a hollow."

"Whatever." Danny took a breath. "Any other time when your badge doesn't go off and there's a ghost around?"

"Spirit," Ichigo mended. "It goes off whenever there's a hollow around and those things wear masks. That Box Ghost didn't have a mask."

"A ghost that doesn't wear a mask?"

"That's a shinigami and they're called _spirits._ Ask a friend of mine and she'll give you totally crappy drawings with bears and bunnies depicting those two types of spirits. It kills me whenever I see them."

"Ichigo!" a girly voice growled from behind him.

"Oh shit!" Ichigo swore. He was knocked down from behind by a certain dark-haired shinigami.

"Rukia!" Danny gasped before covering his mouth.

"Time to cross over, spirit!" Rukia said, unsheathing her zanpakutou.

Danny's eyes widened. "Wait! I don't want to cross over yet!"

Rukia stamped her hilt onto the ghost boy's forehead and a glowing seal emerged.

Danny's head burst with pain. "AGH! GET IT OFF OF ME!" He clutched his forehead.

Ichigo and Rukia watched as a brilliant white light enveloped the shaking teen.

Inside the light, Danny felt as if his molecules were about to be ripped apart. He caught glimpses of houses and streets with laughing children playing. He caught sight of more black-robed people with swords before his vision flickered.

"This is an especially violent konsou," Rukia remarked, frowning as the light show before them went on.

"I was _going_ to tell you not to do it due to some recent developments but now it's too late," Ichigo said.

"What developments?"

"The appearance of a spirit who thought fifty dollars was more than three million and get this: he controls boxes."

"That's not possible."

"Ha. Ask any old person down on that street. They all saw the blue spirit trashing the crate store."

"_Blue?_"

"Hey, I'm not the one who organized his color scheme." Ichigo shrugged.

A scream brought them out of their conversation as they saw the light show subside.

"Finally," Rukia breathed. "The spirit's been put to rest." She took a step back as she saw the shockingly white hair shine in the sun. "What? How?"

"Ow," Danny moaned, clutching his forehead, which was red. "I _never_ want to go through that again. And I thought being zapped by the portal was painful."

"That's not possible!"

Danny looked up to see Rukia in the same outfit as Ichigo. He got up shakily and took several deep breaths.

"Take these words to heart, lady," he said to her, "if a ghost doesn't want to cross over, listen. Unless, of course, they're completely trashing the neighborhood." Danny scratched his white hair, recovering more quickly than he thought he would. "Don't take that against me, though. The fights I get into are pretty nasty so damage is part of the job." He turned invisible and let his eerie voice float around the two shocked shinigamis. "Catch ya later, Ichigo."

Ichigo took a breath and turned to his friend. "Soul Society?"

"Isn't going to believe a word I tell them."

"Tell them this: beware!"

"Eh?"

"Never mind." Ichigo was grinning. He vanished from her view.

"ICHIGO!"

* * *

"Wonder where Sam and Tucker went," Danny mused, flying around invisibly. "Should I tell them what happened?" He thought back to the unimaginable pain he had felt. "Nah. They'd probably go berserk…even if they don't believe that Ichigo is a shinigami."

Danny stopped in midair to hold the thermos. He floated silently for a moment, contemplating something.

"What should I do with the Box Ghost?" He scratched his hair. "It's not like there's a ghost portal here for me to just chuck him in. And it's not like I can just toss in the holly, too." Danny sighed and landed on the roof of a house, turning visible, and hiding behind the chimney as he did so. "Speaking of which, if there're only two kinds of spirits and those are the shinigamis and hollys, how'd the Box Ghost end up here?" Danny knocked his head lightly against the brick of the chimney. "Tuck's theory of a different dimension is starting to look more and more likely to me." He fingered the cap of the device. "Maybe I should let the Box Ghost out and ask him. I can always catch the holly really quickly." Danny looked up at the sky, which was beginning to be covered with clouds. "In that case, I'd better go up really high so no one gets hurt."

Danny turned invisible again and zoomed upwards through the clouds, switching to intangibility to get rid of the water droplets that insisted on clinging to his hair and jumpsuit. After ascending a few more thousand feet and the air was getting dangerously chilly, he stopped and readied the Fenton Thermos.

"Here goes nothing."

Danny uncapped the thermos, switching to release as he did so. Two figures emerged. One was the Box Ghost, who remained floating. The other was the masked monster, which began to plummet down to earth before Danny sucked it in again.

"You!" the Box Ghost shouted, catching sight of the halfa.

"Me." Danny slung the thermos back onto his back. "I released you 'cause I wanted to ask some questions."

"I am the Box Ghost—"

"Yeah, yeah." Danny rolled his eyes. "Look, did you get here from the Ghost Zone?"

"Yes! The green swirly shapes, the not squareness of the surroundings," the Box Ghost launched into one of his tirades.

Danny repressed the urge to bang his head on the thermos in his hands. "Shut UP!" The Box Ghost shut up. "Thank you. Now, please, in language that I can understand, explain how you ended up here. Did you fly over an ocean?"

"Red light!" the ghost wailed. "Calamity in the Zone!"

"I said, '_in language that I can understand,_' " Danny said, his voice becoming dangerously low.

"What part of 'calamity in the Zone' do you not get?"

"Elaborate." Danny folded his arms as the Box Ghost began to explain in a language that wasn't about boxes.

_Flashback:_

** "Boxes!" The Box Ghost hovered before a door, shoving a square jewel box through it. "More boxes!"**

** Skulker floated by him, glanced at him once, and then shrugged before flying away.**

** "Your constant tirade of boxes is driving me nuts, dipstick!" a certain rock star yelled at the crazy ghost. "SHUT UP!"**

** "My boxes of doom will destroy you!" he retorted.**

** The Box Ghost was knocked into his room by a pink fist from an irritated Ember. He poked his head out and shouted defiantly, "You have not seen the last of me! For I am the Box Ghost!" He floated out and added for good measure, "BEWARE!"**

** "If you don't shut up…" Ember trailed off before looking behind the Box Ghost, eyes wide. "RED ALERT!"**

** "Eh? Red alert?" The Box Ghost turned around to see a huge masked monster howling in his face. "YAAAH!" He scampered away.**

** He had barely gotten anywhere before bumping into a frazzled Skulker.**

** "They're everywhere!" the hunter yelled to the surrounding ghosts. "Group together and fight!"**

** "Tasty souls," a growl came from below them. Both hunter and box-obsessed ghost looked down to see a very pleased looking monster looking at them in a way neither of them liked. "Come to papa."**

** "I am—" the Box Ghost was cut off as Skulker shoved him away to fire an ecto-gun at the huge monster. It blasted into smoke.**

** "Ha!" Skulker sneered. "Not so tough now are you?"**

** "Beware," the Box Ghost said weakly as a glowing red light began to form below them. "Run from…the light of doooom!" He sprinted away about ten feet before Skulker was blasted by the red light.**

** When the light vanished, Skulker remained floating there, unscathed. Apparently, he had turned intangible at the last moment. The monster stared at the hunter, dumbfounded.**

** "You should have been destroyed!" it howled.**

** Skulker raised an eyebrow. "What world do you come from? I simply turned intangible."**

** "Must…have tasty soul!" the monster roared, swiping at the hunter, who simply dodged.**

** The Box Ghost lifted up his hands, summoning a legion of crates. "You shall die from crates of doom! Flee now or…"**

** "Die laughing?" Skulker finished.**

** "Die-what?" The Box Ghost stared at the other ghost.**

** Skulker sighed at the blue ghost's stupidity and shot a couple of ecto-beams at the masked monster.**

** "SOULS!" Another masked monster barreled straight into their midst.**

** "What kind of ghosts are these creeps?" a small kid in a pirate's outfit howled. It was Youngblood with his parrot sidekick.**

** "Less talking," Skulker grunted, throwing a monster into the distance by its tail, "more fighting!"**

** "Eat my dust, landbubbers!" Youngblood taunted, spraying them with a cloud of toxic gas that looked like dust.**

** "Landlubbers," the parrot on his shoulder corrected. It looked like a skeleton.**

** "Why are these ghosts attacking the Ghost Zone?" Penelope Spectra, a ghost that looked like a shadow, asked.**

** "I don't even think they're ghosts!" Johnny 13 answered as he zoomed by on his motorcycle, dragging a small masked monster by a chain.**

** "What else can they be?" Spectra hollered to the biker's retreating form.**

** "Oof!" Skulker was knocked into von beyond by a tail whack from a particularly ugly monster.**

** "BEWARE!" the Box Ghost shouted, throwing a crate at a monster. It swatted it away and glared at the feeble ghost. "Er, beware?" It chased after the Box Ghost, who fled, wailing.**

** "SOULS!" it screamed in a weird, howling voice.**

** "I am the Box Ghost!" the pathetic ghost got out before he was knocked into a "wall" of the Ghost Zone.**

** The monster opened up its huge mouth and a ball of red light started to form. Crackling energies danced around it and with a loud roaring noise, the red light enveloped the ghost.**

** With a huge flash of light, the Box Ghost was rather roughly, and that's _lightly_ put, deposited on a grassy ground. He lay for a moment, trembling, before realizing that nothing had happened and looked up cautiously. Seeing that he was not in the Ghost Zone but rather somewhere else that was monster free, he began to float up.**

** "This may not be the Ghost Zone but I can still wreak havoc on this place!" the Box Ghost shouted. Several people stared at the floating man. The Box Ghost saw them and yelled, "BEWARE!"**

** "AAAH!" They ran.**

_End Flashback._

"So the last thing you remember is a red light?" Danny asked the Box Ghost once he finished explaining.

"I remember 'bewaring'!" the Box Ghost shouted, waving his arms.

"Before that."

"Masked monster and red light. AND BOXES!"

Danny face-palmed, resisting the urge to throttle the stupid ghost. "So, do you know a way back?"

"I have seen no portals here in during my short boxed stay!" the Box Ghost said.

"Hmm. How about I just call you 'boxy' from now on?" Danny suggested. "Either that or shut up with the boxes stuff 'cause that's about all I can take for now."

"I MISS MY BOXES!"

Danny sighed. "Boxy, if you can't find a way back for now, just get in the stupid thermos so I can have my peace. As soon as I find a portal, I'll chuck you in."

"You cannot trap me in that non-square container! And my name is the Box Ghost!"

"Boxy," Danny repeated. Then an idea struck him. "You did see that orange-haired guy, didn't you?"

"That insolent box-hating overgrown sword wielder?"

Danny thought the latter part of the description was an apt way to describe Ichigo, though he wasn't too sure about the first. "I think that's him."

"I saw him!" The Box Ghost lifted up a finger. "I am the Box Ghost!"

Danny decided not to comment on that but instead said, "Have you ever heard of a world where there are shinigamis and hollys?"

The Box Ghost stared at the halfa, confused. "Shinis?"

"Apparently not." Danny opened up the thermos. "Have a nice nap and thanks for chatting."

With a last "Beware!" the Box Ghost was sucked in. Danny shivered once in the subzero air before flying down to earth, deciding to tell his friends what had happened between him and the box-obsessed ghost.

* * *

"The konsou did not work?" the old man with a white robe asked Rukia. Soutaichou Yamamoto-Genryuusai Shigekuni, taichou of the first division, stood before a window, listening to Kuchiki Rukia's tale about what had happened earlier.

"No, sir." Rukia kept her head low. "At first, it looked like it would but when it finished, the spirit was still standing. Kurosaki Ichigo stood by me during the attempt."

Yamamoto sighed and opened his eyes. He turned around, still holding his cane as he did so. "Anything else?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo also reported to me the appearance of a strange spirit who could apparently control boxes. More I do not know."

"Troubling indeed. You may leave."

"Yes, sir." Rukia left the room, leaving Yamamoto with his fukutaichou, Sasakibe Choujirou.

"What do you think, soutaichou?"

"We need more information." Yamamoto banged his cane against the wooden floor. "The appearance of these spirits merits great discussion. Call a meeting of the Gotei 13."

"Yes, sir." Choujirou left the room to dispatch the jigokuchous.

"Disturbing indeed," Yamamoto muttered, turning once again to watch over the Seireitei.

* * *

"What are the casualties?" Skulker grunted, hiding behind a ledge as a masked monster ran rampant, chasing after several green blobs of screaming ghosts.

"Box Ghost has disappeared, Spectra is injured, Johnny 13's bike was trashed," Ember rattled off the numbers, "Youngblood's parrot lost a wing, and a few ghosts have been eaten."

"Eaten?"

"Eaten," Ember confirmed.

"Think we should ask the ghost boy to help?" Technus asked the hunter. He had a bandage wrapped around his head.

"He hasn't been seen lately either," Ember said. "Bertrand had gone to the human realm to check things out there but those monsters are also running around and Phantom is nowhere visible, ghost or human."

"Insolent whelp," Skulker muttered, trapping a monster in a glowing net. It had tried to sneak up on them. "Just when you need him he isn't there."

"RUN!" Technus suddenly screamed. He vanished.

"See ya." Ember scattered as well.

"What?" Skulker turned around to see a blinding red light. "This…does not bode well."


	5. More Problems

**Chapter 5, just like I promised you! I hope you like this chapter and I'll be ingraining a couple of _SpartanCommander's_ ideas into this chapter. **

**Thanks to _Cross177, Bored2Deth, Hordak's Pupil, MaStEr-Of-YoUr-FaTe, Belthasar, NarutoPhantom, Synneofthesun, Cold-heart-Angel23, SpartanCommander, Zaidee, Piece of Toast_, and _mimifoxlove_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: Actually, I don't own either shows. As for the idea(s) that I'll be using, they belong to _SpartanCommander_. I just gave life to them. ;)**

**EDIT (10/18/11):** Again, edited dialogue and whatnot. Also added something in the first scene.**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 5: More Problems**

* * *

"Lemme get this straight…the _Box Ghost_ told you that there are monsters in the Ghost Zone?" Sam asked Danny in their apartment.

"Yes!" Danny groaned. He had been talking to his friends for the last forty-five minutes about what had happened. "What now? You can't believe the word of a ghost from the Ghost Zone?"

"Well, it _is_ the Box Ghost we're talking about," Tucker said.

"That may be but there's still merit in what he says, guys," Danny insisted, leaning back against the couch. "He's also never heard of shinigamis or hollys before."

"What are hollys?" Sam inquired.

"Those masked monsters that are terrorizing the Ghost Zone and the one that I fought on our first day here." Danny scratched his cheek. "I'm beginning to think Tucker's theory of an alternate dimension is more likely than not. I mean, _both_ of us came here when a red light hit us, right?" His friends nodded. "That's too much of a coincidence. Got a map of the United States, Sam?"

"Let's go the library," Sam suggested.

One flight on the Phantom Express later and the trio touched down besides the library. Walking inside, they waited for Sam to head back to a table, a heavy atlas in her arms.

"Here you go." Sam dropped it down on the table. "What are you looking for?"

"Amity Park," Danny responded, turning the pages until he came to one of the USA. He scoured the map for a few moments.

"Well?" Tucker prompted.

Danny remained silent and checked the index. He looked over the pages for a few more moments before asking, "What year was this book published?"

"It's the most recent one. Why?" Sam answered, puzzled.

"'Cause Amity Park is nowhere to be seen." Danny shoved them the book. "It's like it never existed."

"Maybe it's too small for this map," Tucker said, letting Sam leaf through the pages for a better map.

They looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Internet."

When they got to the computer, however, they found themselves staring at the keyboard.

"Is it just me or does this have several more keys than usual?" Danny whispered.

"It's all English!" Tucker pronounced, looking rather nonplussed.

"But it's not American," Sam muttered, looking at what she was typing in. "All the letters are in weird positions." She typed in "Amity Park, USA" into the Google search engine. "But it still serves our purposes."

Several million hits came up with "park" and "USA" and reports of "amities". But none of them were about Amity Park.

Sam typed in "Amity Park, USA Great Lakes". Nothing came up.

"Our parents didn't lie to us, did they?" Tucker frowned.

"Try finding a close-up map of the United States on your PDA, Tuck," Danny prompted.

"It's Yori, Shikyo," the African-American hissed. "It'll draw too much attention to us to use our real names."

Danny rolled his eyes but decided to humor his friend. The other two waited patiently as their techno geek friend drew up a map of the Great Lakes and all the nearby towns, no matter how small they were.

It took them the better part of a half hour to reach the conclusion that Amity Park, their hometown, was nowhere to be seen.

"But that can't be," Sam said shakily, sitting down in the computer chair. She buried her face in her hands. "We grew up there. How can an entire town just…vanish?"

"Maybe it was never there to begin with," Danny said ominously. "Yabun, have you checked to see if Manson is a famous name? Your great-grandfather must be there as he's the one that's peddling in all the money."

"Thanks for reminding me of my life," Sam grumbled. Before she could touch the keyboard, Tucker showed them the results of the search he had inputted into his PDA.

"No Manson?" Sam squealed in a high pitch. She then lowered it, remembering it was a library. "Sorry. This is just…weird."

"All records indicate this is an alternate dimension. All in favor, say 'aye'," Danny said.

"Aye," both Sam and Tucker intoned.

Silence for a few moments before Tucker broke it. "Now what?"

* * *

"Happy place, happy place, happy place," the small stuffed animal muttered, eyes shut closed tightly as he hid under the bed covers of Ichigo's bed.

Yuzu hummed happily as she shook out the covers. Kon hung on by barely a hair. The blonde girl gave it one more violent snap, sending the poor stuffed toy straight into the closet door.

"Ow," Kon groaned, sliding down.

"Aw." Yuzu picked up Kon by his leg. "He's all dirty. Don't worry, you'll get a nice wash."

'_ICHIGO!_' Kon screamed mentally.

"Hey, Yuzu," said teenager boy greeted his sister. He stepped inside and saw her holding Kon. "Ah. I don't really think he needs to be washed again, Yuzu. I…feel for him." Ichigo refrained from shuddering at his last sentence.

"Take better care of him, onii-chan," Yuzu said, handing Kon to her older brother. "It _is_ a treasured childhood toy."

'_Yeah right. It's somebody's childhood toy but not mine._' Ichigo forced a smile onto his face and waited for his little sister to leave before depositing the stuffed animal onto his bed. "Better be more careful, Kon. Next time I may not be here to save your neck."

"Ha! Who said I needed your help anyway?" Kon said snottily. "I was doing fine on my own!"

"All right. I'll let you take a trip through the machines next time." Ichigo took out a math textbook. "Now be quiet."

"But—"

"HOLLOW! HOLLOW! HOLLOW!"

"Eep!" Kon jumped but then got a mischievous look in his beady eyes. "Hey, Ichigo, maybe I could—"

"No," Ichigo said without listening. "Nope. Not listening." He let his shinigami form out and laid the body on the bed. "Try to possess it and you're going to spend a week in pill form. Either that, or I'm stringing you up on a hook and not letting you down for a month."

"Come on!"

"Shut the hell up already!"

"Onii-chan?"

"Say something, Kon!"

In a really bad imitation of Ichigo's voice: "Yes, sweetie?"

"Why do I bother?"

* * *

Skulker hefted up his armor, blinking once before realizing that he was still alive, in the ghostly sense of the word, that is.

"Strange." Skulker floated up above the building. "I could have sworn I was about to be eaten by that abomination of a ghost." He flew in line with a street, not noticing that he was causing several accidents as people looked up at him in shock. "I must be _somewhere_ at any rate. Ah. Perhaps that pitiful human can tell me where I am." He floated over to a cowering man who was standing on a ladder, fixing a broken light over the street. "You. Where am I?"

"G-g-g-g-g—" the poor man stammered.

"I am Skulker, Ghost Zone's greatest hunter." The ghost hunter fired up an ecto-gun threateningly. "I repeat, where am I?"

"JAPAN!" the man shouted, nearly falling off the ladder.

"What in the world is Japan?" The ecto-gun was blazing.

"Island in the Pacific," the man replied, eyeing the gun apprehensively.

"Town name?"

"K-Karakura."

"Not Amity Park?"

"Eh?" The man decided he had enough of the strange apparition before him and slid down the ladder. "YAAAAHHH! RUN!" He pelted away before the ghost hunter could apprehend him.

"Now what are you supposed to be?" a new voice cut in. "You sure don't look like a hollow." Skulker turned around to see an orange-haired teenager with a huge sword strapped to his back glaring at a badge in his hand. "This thing must be defective or something."

"Who are you, orange child?" Skulker asked.

"Orange child?" Ichigo started indignantly. "My name's Kurosaki Ichigo and I think I should be asking _you_ that question. What's up with the fiery green mohawk and high tech look?"

"I am Skulker, Ghost Zone's greatest hunter," Skulker repeated. "And I insist on this fact: what are you?"

Ichigo sighed and answered, "I'm a substitute shinigami. In case you don't know what that is, I'm a guy who's supposed to help spirits cross over."

"Hmm." Skulker scratched his metallic chin thoughtfully. "I've never heard of a shinigami before so I'm certain it must be a rare prize."

"Er…not really." Ichigo had a sneaking suspicion this didn't bode well.

"You are certainly worthy to be a prey of mine," Skulker finished, grinning.

"Huh?" Ichigo stared as Skulker fired up his armor's offensive capabilities. "Okay. That's new." He ducked as a gun fired a blue ray his way. "Hey! Watch it!" He clutched the hilt of Zangetsu and the bandages unraveled, retreating to a more manageable size.

"Such an unwieldy weapon," Skulker sneered. "Missiles are much more manageable." He shot a dozen of said missiles against the orange-haired shinigami. The boy vanished before Skulker's eyes. "What?"

"Heh. Sorry." Ichigo reappeared behind Skulker. "Am I a bad prey?"

"Quite the contrary, this will make the hunt more amusing." Skulker backed off before Ichigo could hack any parts off. "Did you turn invisible?"

"No, that's called shunpo." Ichigo wondered what part of the world his opponent was from. "It lets me move really quickly."

"Pity. Doesn't match with the real deal," Skulker said, turning invisible as he said it.

"What the—?" Ichigo looked around wildly. "Where'd he go?"

"If you would turn invisible it'd be easy to see me," Skulker's voice came from next to his ear. Ichigo whirled around and swung at the spot. "Missed me. Or rather, you slashed _through _me. Honestly, if you're a ghost why not act like one?"

"I'm a spirit!" Ichigo swung his sword around wildly and nearly chopped his head off. "Where are you getting these powers?"

"Honestly, orange child, it's elementary ghost powers," Skulker said, reappearing a few feet away from Ichigo's sharp blade.

"It's Ichigo!" Ichigo leapt at the ghost to stamp a seal onto the hunter's forehead. "If you're a ghost, you're a spirit! Happy crossing over!"

"My armor!" Skulker clutched his face, which had begun to smoke.

When the hunter disappeared in a brilliant light show, Ichigo turned around, wrapping up his sword. "That's done." He flash stepped away.

A few moments later, a smoking Skulker emerged from the unsuccessful konsou.

"You might have a strange power, orange child, but I am _not_ finished with you yet. Rather, the hunt has just begun." He vanished, following Ichigo invisibly.

A few minutes later, an invisible Danny Phantom arrived at the scene. He looked down to see the smoking wrecks of cars and glanced at the surrounding buildings to see black marks.

"Well, there _was_ a ghost here," Danny mused, scratching his hair. "Guess I came too late. It obviously wasn't a holly or a shinigami as the crowd managed to see it." He sighed. "Knew I shouldn't have let Sam and Tucker drag me into the arcade."

* * *

Skulker invisibly followed Ichigo back to his house and hovered outside the window as the shinigami stepped inside his room.

"Good to see you didn't run off anywhere, Kon," he heard the orange child say.

"How could I?" the hunter heard an annoying voice cry. He peeked inside to see…a stuffed animal bouncing all over the place? Now _that_ would be a rare prize. "I don't want to spend a week in pill form!"

"It's a good thing you didn't do anything," the orange child said flatly.

Skulker saw him walk over to…himself? The hunter blinked to be sure he hadn't seen wrong.

"My life is already hard enough with all these hollows without you bouncing around all over the place hitting on every girl you see."

Skulker saw the orange child disappear into the body on the bed.

'_Interesting._' Skulker grinned. '_Looks like there's more than one half-ghost on this planet, not including Plasmius. I may not have the ghost child here to deal with but I will have some fun with this 'shinigami'. What an interesting addition to my collection._'

The hunter flew off, contemplating if he should have the orange child reside in a cage, have his pelt rest at his bed or on his wall, or simply hack off his head and keep it as a trophy. So many choices, but which one would be best?

* * *

"Danny!" he heard someone call crossly.

"Wha-what?" Danny forced himself awake. "What's wrong?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"What's wrong?_ This_ is wrong!" Sam shoved a paper in Danny's face. "What were you _thinking_?"

It took Danny's brain a minute to register what he was seeing on the front page of the newspaper. What caught his eyes was the huge picture of him, or his ghost half to be more specific. It was a picture of him standing in some rubble and he was standing up and looking directly at the camera. The caption above it read, "_Are Ghosts Real?_" Then it blabbered on about how the recent happenings with unexplainable holes in the streets and gigantic thundering noises could be explained if the recent occurrences with the floating apparitions were real.

"Do you know who took this picture?" Tucker took the newspaper from Danny's hands. "And when?"

Danny searched his memories for a few moments before recalling his second encounter with a holly, when a kid had stopped to flash a picture before fleeing.

"Yeah. It took place during our first day at school," Danny said. "I crashed into a building after a holly swatted me away. Everyone ran except for this kid who took a picture. I thought he'd forgotten about it 'cause nothing happened but I guess not."

"Am I the only one who understands how important it is to be low-key?" Sam said.

"Low-key? When have I _not_ been low-key, Sam?" Danny shot back. He sprang to his feet, green eyes blazing. "I've been low-key from day one since I got my powers!"

"Thanks to you, Mr. Low-key, we almost blew our cover!" Sam retorted. "And is Phantom so weak that he can be defeated by a holly? Even the name stinks!"

"Hey! For your information, that holly was a lot stronger than the last one I fought! I didn't _ask_ to be brought here! It's not my fault we're stuck halfway across the world from where we're supposed to be!"

"Oh yeah, like it wasn't_ your_ fault that you didn't suck in that ghost when you could've," Sam said vehemently.

"I didn't think that it could regenerate!"

"You've seen enough of ghosts, Danny, to know you have to be prepared for anything!"

"Why didn't you suck in that ghost when you could've?" Danny accused her. "You were the one holding the thermos!"

"It's no wonder people think of you guys as lovebirds if you argue like that," Tucker said blandly.

The two furious teens directed their rage towards Tucker. "WE'RE NOT LOVEBIRDS!"

"Suuure." Tucker wore a grin. "Then why're you blushing like crazy?" '_Phew. Good thing I stopped those two. Sam looked about ready to bite Danny's head off and Danny looked like he was about to blow something into smithereens._' "Anyway, arguing won't solve anything. We should just get ready to go to school and try to figure out how we're going to get home later."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you've got a point," Sam said. "Danny, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm, too." He grinned sheepishly. "Guess this whole traveling between dimensions thing has taken a lot more out of us than I would've figured."

"Now, who's up for cereal and ketchup?" Tucker smiled brightly.

"_Ewww._"

"Oh, gross, Tucker! What do you eat at home?"

"Chicken and bacon mixed with yogurt."

* * *

"Aw, great, Skulker's gone, Box Ghost's gone – not that he was much help, anyway – Klemper's disappeared mysteriously, Johnny is officially out of commission…who else have I missed?" Ember peered over a stone ledge to look at the masked monster that was ferociously battling it out with Youngblood and his crew.

"You forgot to add that Spectra fainted from an overload of misery," Kitty added frankly.

"And I still don't get how that's possible," Ember said. "I mean, come _on_…she's _supposed_ to feed on misery and searches all over the place for it! Now these pathetic masked monsters pack such a punch that she _faints_ from it?"

"I wouldn't call them pathetic," Kitty said. "I mean, what happened to _your_ boyfriend? Isn't he supposed to be the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter?"

"That's what _he_ says." Ember and Kitty turned invisible as a masked monster floated by, howling as it chased after several blobby ghosts that were screaming for their lives. She continued, "I couldn't care less what happened to the bozo but it is a mystery. He disappeared after I ran away from that masked monster which had snuck up from behind us."

"Oh yeah, that was _so_ brave of you," Kitty said sarcastically.

"I didn't see _you_ anywhere when Johnny got wasted," Ember shot back.

"I was fighting another one of those creeps. I managed to stuff it into a door before realizing what happened to him."

Ember and Kitty flew out from behind the ledge as a masked monster came uncomfortably close to where they were hiding.

They regrouped a little later with several other ghosts. Among them being a victorious but rather battered up Youngblood and the remnants of his crew, Ghost Writer, Technus, Bertrand, a few ecto-pusses, the Lunch Lady, and a few of Walker's, the ghost zone's warden, goons.

"Any suggestions on what to do?" Ember asked the group.

"I say we waste these creeps!" Youngblood declared.

"How do we do that? Throw them some toys?" Ember raised an eyebrow, smirking as Youngblood blushed furiously.

"There is a problem with these unhip monsters," Technus said, ignoring the groans the other ghosts gave him. "Even my awesome technology hasn't done anything to them!"

"Oh yeah. I can totally see the point of electrocuting them and then whacking them across the Ghost Zone for another ghost to deal with," Bertrand said.

"We must defeat them, for a lovely future," the Ghost Writer said. He frowned. "That doesn't rhyme. Darn it." He started to scribble something down on some paper he had on his person.

"Where's Walker?" Ember asked a goon.

He shrugged and said, "Don't know. He disappeared while trying to make sure no one escaped from the prison. I think a monster got him. I saw a flash of red light at the prison before the whole thing blew to bits."

"Just what do these things want anyway?" Youngblood wondered.

"SOULS!" a voice howled in the distance.

"We're not souls, are we? I thought we were ghosts."

"Hello, lunch." The ghosts all froze as a voice growled behind them. They turned around slowly to find a whole group of masked monsters staring at them. "Stay right there."

"Oh crud," was all Ember could say before a brilliant green light enveloped them all.

* * *

Skulker blasted a nearby stop sign. "Ecto-guns check." Skulker's arm converted into a missile gun and he shot several missiles. "Ecto-missiles check." The hunter shot two glowing blue nets and entrapped several nearby pedestrians, who froze with terror at finding themselves encased in a glowing net. "Ecto-nets check. Although I do wish I didn't waste those on those pathetic humans." He grinned. "Now, the hunt can commence and that orange child's pelt will be lying at the foot of my bed. Or his head as a trophy on my wall. Hmm. Should I have him reside in a cage instead?"

Skulker floated down to the school, still contemplating about what he should do with the orange child once he had captured, humiliated, and thoroughly vanquished the sword-wielding "half-ghost". He floated before the window, peeking inside to see if his prey was still inside. He was instantly gratified upon seeing the orange-haired teenager sitting at a desk and looking very bored at whatever the teacher was rambling about.

Skulker noticed a small badge resting at his waist and remembered the orange child glaring at it and saying something about 'defective'. '_I see. It must be similar to the ghost child's ghost sense. In that case, I had better stay elsewhere until he leaves. Best not to create a ruckus._'

Skulker flew away as fast as he could, hoping that he hadn't set off the badge. Kurosaki Ichigo, meanwhile, was so bored he was falling asleep. After all, why would he need to know what the ancient Egyptians thought of spirits if all their assumptions were wrong?

Ichigo had just begun to nod off when the bell rang, jerking him out of his stupor. He gathered up his stuff and went outside to meet his friends before going home.

"Hey. Did you think that was boring as I thought it was?" Ichigo asked Uryuu.

"It was…intriguing," Uryuu said. "Except for the fact that everything the Egyptians thought about spirits were wrong. Did you hear about the assignment?"

"I kinda dozed off before she got to that part," Ichigo admitted. "In fact, I didn't catch a word beyond, 'The Egyptians thought spirits were living embodiments of one's souls.' "

"Pity." Uryuu's mouth twisted into a smile. "I'm not going to help you with the assignment. Try wrangling it out of someone else."

Ichigo refrained from retorting but smiled when his other two friends approached. "Hey, Chad, Inoue. Guess what happened yesterday?"

"Kuchiki-san showed up?" Orihime asked.

"Well, yeah, but something else. There was a spirit who called himself the Box Ghost," Ichigo said. "And believe me when I tell you this, he actually controlled boxes. Also, Fantomu – that's the white-haired kid – got him before I could."

"A spirit that controls boxes?" Chad inquired.

"Yup. Fantomu called him a ghost," Ichigo recalled. "In fact, he said that he was himself a ghost. Another disturbing aspect to this whole thing is that he can't cross over. Konsous don't work on him."

"That's impossible," Uryuu stated.

"Tell that to the freaky kid with glowing green eyes and a nickname that completely sucks."

"What's the nickname?"

"Dead Person."

Everyone was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"No, seriously, it's Dead Person," Ichigo insisted. "In fact, it looked like it would've killed the kid to say it if not for the fact that he was already dead."

Orihime repressed another giggle and said cheerfully, "Any other news?"

"Oh yeah. There was a spirit with a green Mohawk – no, seriously, Ishida – and high-tech armor that called me orange child."

"It might have something to do with your hair color," Uryuu said.

"Yeah, well, I'm still not gonna dye it," Ichigo said.

"I didn't say that."

"You were insinuating it."

"Anything else, Ichigo?" Chad broke in before it turned into a fight.

"Well, not until Rukia gets back, that is," Ichigo admitted. The group had been walking through the school during the whole conversation and now Ichigo stepped outside into the sun. "I'll be going now and be seeing you later. Let me know if you see Fantomu all right?"

"Oh, we'll alert you the moment Dead Person starts floating around," Orihime said happily. She didn't notice the others staring at her. "See you, Kurosaki-kun!" She bounced away.

"That sounded…strange," Uryuu said.

"Now you know why I said that the kid looked like he could've killed himself," Ichigo said. "He had an emblem on his chest that looked like a 'p' inside of a 'd'."

"Well, that explains the odd choice of names," Chad said.

"Not my choice." Ichigo shrugged and held his bag behind his shoulder the way he normally did. "Be going now."

When his other two friends left, Ichigo turned down a flight of stairs and started going down a neighborhood. He planned on making a small stop to see a spirit he had seen playing around in the playground. That was, of course, until a certain ghost decided to crash his party.

"Hello, prey," Skulker said, grinning as he appeared before a stunned Ichigo. "I see I didn't set off that badge sense of yours."

"Hey! You – how – what – _badge sense?_" Ichigo latched onto the last thing the hunter had said. He realized the mohawk spirit must be talking about his badge. "Ah, I don't what it is about you spirits but you all have the talent for making incredibly bad puns."

"How is that?"

"I don't know. How about asking a certain kid who's calling himself 'Dead Person' and going under 'Fantomu' as well. Not that I blame him anyway…"

"Oh well." Skulker shrugged before grinning again and firing up some ecto-missiles. "I have decided to either have your pelt rest at the foot of my bed or on my wall, or have your head sit on my dresser as a trophy. Either that, or you can spend the rest of your days in a cage."

"First of all, I don't want to tell you how gross that is." Ichigo stepped out of his body in shinigami form. "And second of all, have you seen a doctor?"

"Oh, and I want your talking stuffed animal, too. That would be an especially rare prize."

"You're kidding me. You _really_ need to see a doctor," Ichigo said. "If you're the self-proclaimed Ghost Zone's – whatever that is – greatest hunter, you should be a prize by yourself."

"Not a bad idea but I can't hunt myself. You, a half-ghost, will be the perfect prize to show my dear enemy the ghost child that I _can_ hunt and don't need video games to help comfort my obsession with guns."

"Oh wow. I need to talk to that 'ghost child' of yours. He's obviously hit the solution right on the head. And for your information, I'm not a half-ghost, I'm a shinigami."

"Shinigamis are ghosts, correct?"

Ichigo nodded, deciding not to comment on the use of the word "ghost".

"Then how can you have a body as well? The answer is, you're a half-ghost. The perfect prize except for the fact that you don't have the standard ghost powers." Skulker stopped and savored the moment. "Which will make this _much_ easier."

"I don't want to know what the standard ghost powers are," Ichigo started, grasping the hilt of Zangetsu, "but I _do_ know that I'm not going down without a fight. And I'm_ definitely_ not going to be a pelt on your wall."

"Well, to tell you the truth, your orange hair would have clashed horribly with my tiger pelt."

"You hunt tigers? Oh forget it." Ichigo got into his battle stance. "I don't want to know what you hunt. And by the way, how'd you escape that konsou? You were supposed to cross over."

"Well, for one thing, orange child, I'm a ghost. In your classification as a substitute shinigami, you said that you help _spirits_ cross over. Not ghosts. And for another, that thing nearly fried my armor." Skulker pointed to a black mark on his forehead.

"Come to think of it, Fantomu also said he was a ghost." Ichigo didn't put down his sword but frowned. "As did that idiotic spirit who called himself the 'master of all things cardboard and square'."

"Oh, I see you met our Box Ghost. He's what I like to call the perfect bait. He's idiotic enough to not cause any harm but he's also threatening enough to destroy things. Not to mention, he annoys the pants off of you with his ranting."

"One more thing before I decide to hack off your armor," Ichigo said, his eyes glowing blue with his reiatsu. "Why do you set off my badge? It's supposed to detect hollows, not spirits and definitely not lame ghosts like that dumb Box Ghost."

"I do not know how your world works, orange child," Skulker said. He started to fire ecto-missiles. "Just this, that badge sense of yours won't do much good in this fight."

"I'm not even going to comment on that." Ichigo leapt into the fire with his sword.

* * *

"We're…still here?" Ember whispered, cracking open one eye.

"I thought my master said to _not_ harm these ghosts," a new voice cut in. It was deep, dark, and booming.

When the aftereffects of the huge green flash of light had faded, the native ghosts of the Ghost Zone found all the monsters cowering before another ghost. His face was haloed in green fire; his eyes were cruel, hard, and calculating and the color was red. He wore a strange white outfit and by his hip was a sword, a Japanese sword to be more exact.

"Honestly, must I do everything myself?" the new ghost said, evidently bored. His hand started to glow green and he moved it from side to side, enveloping all the monsters in a ghostly green fire. "You are all useless as you can't even take care of these pathetic ghosts without killing them. Well, no matter, I'll do it myself."

"Who're you?" Ember asked, finding her voice.

"Oh, no one of any importance," the ghost said. "I just came here on my master's orders as these stupid things can't do anything without killing what they're attacking."

"You're a ghost, though!" Technus said.

"Thank you for stating the obvious. What did I come off as? A cat?"

"But ghosts don't turn their back on the Ghost Zone!" Youngblood shouted.

"Well, I'm not just _any_ ghost," the stranger responded. "I admit, I was once a ghost like yourself but I served under the ghost king – who, by the way," he added to the monsters, "is off limits. I was a general, like the Fright Knight himself."

"I've never heard of you," Ember said.

"Pity." The ghost gazed at her. "Well, instead of reminiscing of old days, why not tell me where the legendary halfa has disappeared to?"

"What do you want with the ghost boy?" Youngblood asked.

"Indeed, he's done no harm to you if we don't know you," the Ghost Writer added. "And may I add—"

"Don't rhyme, it'll end with a horrible pun," Bertrand interrupted him.

The Ghost Writer glared at him.

"I merely want to test my skills against him," the ghost said. "I heard he defeated old Knighty in a one-on-one fight."

"Well, he's not here," Ember said. "He's disappeared."

"Well, pity 'bout that. Guess that means I can't play around here any longer." The ghost whipped out his sword, which started to glow green. "I suppose you ghosts should say good-bye to the Ghost Zone."

"Why would we do that, dearie?" the Lunch Lady wondered.

"No, the question is, why are you calling him 'dearie'?" Technus said.

"Enough talking." The ghost whapped his sword around in the air and sent a green energy strike heading straight towards the other ghosts.

Ember quickly twiddled a dial on her guitar to a pink fist and blasted the strings. A pink fist burst out of the guitar and towards the other ghost, who didn't notice. The last thing the rock star saw before the energy blast hit her was the fist striking the sword-wielding ghost and his disappearance.

* * *

In Karakura Town, Japan, an average brown-haired man with an average life was walking down a street in an average part of the town. He just passed by an alley before stopping after realizing that he had seen something strange. He backpedaled and looked again before wishing he hadn't.

A fist had closed around his shirt and lifted him up two feet into the air. The poor man was staring into the face of one of the most terrifying apparitions he had ever seen.

'_Maybe it's a movie,_' he thought, his heart pounding so loud he thought the face surrounded in green flames would hear it. '_Maybe it's a script for a movie and I'm just a passer-by starring in a cameo._'

"Mortal," the scary face ground out, "where am I?'

'_Eep. Not a movie._' The man gulped and stammered out, "K-K-Karakura."

"Answer me this, mortal," the face said again, "do you know what ghosts are?"

"N-no." The man hoped it was the right answer.

"You're looking at one right now." The face, the man now noticed it was attached to a body wearing a white outfit with a sword, grinned. "I suggest you run now before I decide to blast you to smithereens." With that, he let the terrified man run away as fast as his legs could carry him. "Karakura. This must be the place my master is so interesting in conquering." His eyes caught sight of a picture with something glaring at him. "What's this?" He picked it up to see a black and white clothed boy staring directly at him. "Well, well. Seems I've run straight into this legendary halfa without even asking to. This will be very interesting."

* * *

"Ha!" Danny flew around the holly and kicked it into a post office. "Knew fighting when invisible was a good idea. They can't even see me!"

The holly stood up, howling, and looked all over the place, trying to find whatever had kicked it into the building.

"Oh well. I'd better get this cleared up before Ichigo comes here and decides to tear me apart again," Danny said quietly. He whapped out his thermos and sucked in the holly without another word. It didn't even know what hit it.

"Interesting, halfa," a new voice said from behind him, making him freeze in midair. "I see you like to fight subtly when invisible."

"Who're you?" Danny turned around to see the outline of another ghost. As both he and the other ghost were invisible, this was possible.

"For you, I will actually honor you with the knowledge of my name," the ghost said importantly. "Nai Samurai is my name."

"Nai Samurai?" Danny frowned. "What's that supposed to be? Some fancy article?"

Nai Samurai became visible, immediately causing several audible crashing sounds on the ground. Having blown his cover, Danny let drop his own invisibility as well.

"No. If you ask, 'nai' is a word for 'dead'," Nai Samurai said. "It used to be just 'Samurai' but my master changed it."

"Your master?" Danny asked. "That sounds too much like a certain other ghost who always has to follow under someone."

"Ah, that would be my dear old friend the Fright Knight I suppose," Nai Samurai said.

"You know him?" '_I wasn't even aware that the Fright Knight even had any friends._'

"Why yes. We used to be quite chummy until I decided I didn't want to follow under the ghost king any longer." Nai Samurai let an ugly grin cross his features. "I heard that you, halfa, defeated him. I want to see if you're really as strong as the other ghosts suggest."

"Uh—" '_I just shut him up in that stupid pumpkin._' "Look, I really don't want to fight." Danny put up his hands. "It would cause too much damage and frankly, I don't have a reason to fight with you anyway."

"What if I told you that the Ghost Zone was conquered?" Nai Samurai said.

"When did that happen?"

"Just about five minutes ago," Nai Samurai said. "I was most likely blasted here by that infernal pink fist the rock star blasted at me. There must have been an inter-dimensional portal next to me."

"Rock star?" Realization dawned on Danny's face. "You don't mean Ember, do you? What happened to Amity Park?"

"Your home town is safe…" Nai Samurai said. He then added, "For now. My master has business with your world as well."

"What does he want with it?" Danny's green eyes were blazing with an even more fierce light than normal.

"Oh, just to be the ruler of it all." Nai Samurai shrugged casually. "He dispatched me to take care of the troublesome ghosts in the Ghost Zone and left me to personally ensure your demise. Of course, I couldn't be more delighted upon finding out that Amity Park's famous protector was the legendary Danny Phantom, the halfa that defeated Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight singlehandedly and that _I_ would have the pleasure of defeating you."

"Okay, your mind is really, really twisted," Danny pointed out. "By taking care of the ghosts in the Ghost Zone, you don't mean…?"

"Why do you care, halfa?" Nai Samurai asked. "From what I have heard of your escapades, those ghosts give you nothing but grief."

"Yeah, but, I don't _kill_ them."

"Rest assured, halfa, my master still has use for those ghosts." Nai Samurai drew his sword. "Now, I, Nai Samurai, challenge you to a Ghostly Duel to the death. Well, a ghostly death to be more exact. Any and all powers are permitted in this duel."

"I really don't want to fight," Danny protested. '_Even though you're threatening everything and everyone I know. I don't even know this guy. Sam and Tucker aren't going to be much help because they're stuck in pedestrian traffic and don't know the layout. Guess I'll have to handle this on my own until they can come up with something._'

"Too bad. I've just challenged you and to back out would mean to die." Nai Samurai slashed his blade at Danny, who split his body so the sword passed through harmlessly. "I see my Splitter won't do much against you."

"Splitter?" Danny asked. "That's your sword's name?"

"You'll find out why it's called Splitter," Nai Samurai said ominously.

He disappeared from Danny's view and reappeared to the ghost boy's right, swinging down his sword to try and cut Danny's arm. The halfa twisted around his body to catch the sword in mid-swing and tried to wrench it out of the older ghost's grasp. The two stayed there for a few moments, wrestling with the sword until Nai Samurai gave it a particularly violent swing and sent Danny flying.

Danny managed to stop his midair flying and formed a shield in time to block an ectoplasmic blast from the other ghost. He fired up one of his own and shot it at the ghost, only to miss when Nai Samurai turned intangible. Danny dodged a few more ghost rays and flew towards Nai Samurai, his hands glowing.

Nai Samurai's blade Splitter began to glow green. He brought it down in one fluid sweep and sent a green energy strike flying straight towards the incoming halfa. Both met in a brilliant flash of green light and a resounding _BOOM!_

* * *

"Hey, Rukia!" a red-haired man called out. Abarai Renji, fukutaichou of the sixth division, ran up to the waiting unseated shinigami. "Did you hear about the new spirits?"

"I was there," Rukia replied. "In fact, I was the one who tried the konsou on the spirit."

"It's a mystery, isn't it?" Renji fell into step with her. "I mean, spirits aren't supposed to be seen by the general population, with the exception of a few with more reiatsu than average."

"You're right, it certainly is an intriguing aspect of the whole deal," Rukia said.

"Kurotsuchi-taichou can't wait to get started on experimenting," Renji said.

"I bet," Rukia said dryly. "I pity the poor spirit who falls under his thumb."

"Well, I don't know. They're malevolent right?" Renji asked thoughtfully.

"Well, the spirit who controlled boxes was at any rate. The other spirit, I'm not too sure about."

"There was a spirit who controlled boxes?"

"Ask Ichigo about the details. I wasn't there."

As Renji was about to open his mouth, an alarm went off. "_Large spike in reiryoku in the human realm. All __taichous_ _and f__ukutaichou_s _please report. I repeat, all __taichous and fukutaichous please report._"

"Large spike in reiryoku?" Renji repeated. "Damn it. Sorry, Rukia. I gotta go." Renji ran off, hanging onto his zanpakutou.

'_Why now?_' Renji thought on the way, passing by other shinigamis of lower ranks. '_There was such a huge drop in hollow activity and just starts to act up now? Not to mention these weird spirits that are showing up and this white-haired kid that Rukia reported. It's too strange._'

"Abarai Renji, reporting for duty!" Renji screeched to a halt in front of a door.

"You're here, then," Yamamoto said. "Very well. Now that the assorted taichous and their fukutaichous have gathered, I will say who goes to the human realm to assess the current situation. Abarai Renji, Kuchiki Byakuya, Matsumoto Rangiku, and Hitsugaya Toushirou will be dispatched. Everyone else will remain here to assess the situation."

* * *

**Several minutes later…**

"Hurry it up already, Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya growled. "This is a mission not a shopping spree!" The white-haired taichou was reaching the end of his rope with his strawberry-blonde fukutaichou, whose head he thought was filled more with cotton than anything else.

"One more moment, taichou!" Matsumoto Rangiku said.

"We're leaving now," Kuchiki Byakuya said.

"Catch up later, Rangiku-san," Renji added.

In another few minutes, the whole team passed through the barrier between Soul Society and the living realm, emerging to a fight that none of them had expected.


	6. Ghostly Battles

**Thanks to _Hordak's Pupil, NarutoPhantom, SpartanCommander, Millie M. Banshee, mimifoxlove, Piece of Toast, Zaidee, PLC the CD, MaStEr-Of-YoUr-FaTe, Synneofthesun_, and _FantomoDrako_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Danny Phantom_ or _ Bleach_.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Ghostly Battles**

* * *

"Tucker!" Sam shouted. She grabbed her friend's sleeve and started to drag him through the crowd. It wouldn't have been a big feat except for the fact that they were going _against_ the tide of the crowd.

"Ow! Sam, slow down!" Tucker complained.

"We can't! Danny's in trouble!"

"And how do you propose we help him?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know! We just have to do _something_!" Sam said.

"Stop, slow down, and breathe," Tucker instructed her. He pulled them to a stop.

Sam took a deep breath and then said, "There, happy? Now, in case you didn't notice, Danny is fighting out there!" She gestured to the sky, where green flashes were visible.

"Yeah, but, think about it this way," Tucker said. "We don't know this town's ground. In Amity Park, we did. We could help Danny by being wherever he was fighting but here we can't. It'll help that everyone is running away from the problem, though," Tucker added thoughtfully.

"Ugh." Sam scratched her head. "Sorry for panicking on you there. Since when did you become so good at thinking things through?"

"Hey, if someone won't do it _I'll_ have to," Tucker said, grinning. "Besides, it's no problem considering that's your _crush_ up there."

"Oh, I am _so_ gonna kill you for that!"

"Save that for later." Tucker looked up at the sky to see more flashes. "I think for now we'll have to hide somewhere before we can come out and even help him.

"As much as I hate to admit this…" Sam sighed. "…you've got a point."

The two snuck through the crowd again but this time to hide somewhere. They prayed to the heavens that their friend would be all right.

* * *

"Ugh." Danny flew backwards about twenty feet before managing to stop his erratic flying. "That hurt." He clutched his chest, where a gaping slash was evident. It stretched from his shoulder to about midway through his torso. It was dripping ectoplasm.

"You're amusing." Nai Samurai flew in towards Danny. "I can't believe the Fright Knight was defeated by a wimp like you."

Danny let the sword pass through his belt before grabbing the other ghost's hand to prevent the Splitter from slicing him again. His hand glowed green as he prepared a ghost ray. He let it loose and blew the other ghost backwards.

Danny whizzed through the air to give the other ghost a punch to the chest, which didn't even faze him. Nai Samurai simply knocked the halfa back with his sword.

"What do you want?" Danny asked, clutching his chest.

"What do I want?" Nai Samurai repeated. "I simply want to defeat you and then claim my crown as the rightful Ghost King of the Ghost Zone."

"I thought Pariah Dark was that?" Danny shot back.

"He's trapped in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep," Nai Samurai said. "His taichou, the Fright Knight, is trapped in a pumpkin and I'm the only one left to claim his crown."

"Ah ha ha," Danny laughed humorlessly. "I don't think the ghosts would let you do that. Heck, _I_ wouldn't let you do that."

"The ghosts of the Ghost Zone are out for the count," Nai Samurai said. "They cannot fight back."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

"You're one serious twisted-up skeleton," Danny stated with a blank look on his face. "Ever think about booking a funeral?"

Nai Samurai's face twisted into an unreadable expression. "Oh, very funny, halfa."

"Keep calling me that and I'll start calling you 'skeleton freak'," Danny retorted.

"Talk is pointless," Nai Samurai said, changing the subject, as it was obvious that the name fight would go on for a while. "Fight is meaningful."

"Ah." Danny pretended to be enlightened. "That sounds…wise. Who told you that? The Blood Master?"

He fired up an ice ray and shot it at Nai Samurai, freezing one of his legs.

'_OK._ _One down, three to go._' Danny smirked, readying another ice blast. "Too cold for you, Nip Samurai?"

"This is ice?" Nai Samurai asked. "It's not even cold." He whacked the ice once with his blade and it shattered.

"Great, back to square one," Danny muttered.

He tried to shoot another ice ray but was distracted by the large incoming view of a green slice of energy that was cutting through the air, courtesy of Nai Samurai's Splitter. The half-ghost teen flew around it but was temporarily blinded by the green flash. He blinked the lights out of his eyes but noticed too late the approaching figure of his opponent.

Before Danny could dodge, Nai Samurai had sliced straight through his right shoulder.

"AAAARGGH!" Danny clutched his shoulder. Before Nai Samurai could get another shot in, Danny fired up an ecto-ball and threw the other ghost backwards. He tried to move his right arm but it didn't respond. "What the heck did you do to my arm?"

"I did merely what my sword can do," Nai Samurai said, an unpleasant sneer crossing his face. "Why did you think it was called the Splitter?"

"You don't mean, it _splits—?_!" Danny let go of his shoulder to reveal a nasty wound.

The arm should've been sliced clean off but where the limb would've been separated was instead a ring of Danny's ectoplasm. It was bleeding heavily and Danny covered it up again, trying to stem it.

"Yes." Nai Samurai seemed delighted. "It splits whatever it cuts from the rest of your body. It separates the object from the consciousness of one's mind."

"OK." Danny looked confused, if not wincing from the pain in his shoulder at the same time. "You lost me at 'consciousness'."

Nai Samurai apparently didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he merely drew his sword back and whipped it down for another green blade of energy to shoot towards Danny. The ghost boy doggedly dodged it and retaliated by aiming an ectoplasmic blast at Nai Samurai.

Danny bit his lip as the samurai ghost dodged it and waved his sword around in an erratic gesture. The resulting energy blast hit the ground and destroyed several whole blocks of the city.

"_Why you!_" Danny was so enraged he couldn't even the get the words out. "You—I—_they're not involved in this!_"

"Who's going to stop me? You?" Nai Samurai said, a shifty grin on his face.

"If I have to," Danny said evenly, clenching his one movable fist. '_I don't know if it'll work and it might cause even more damage. But still, I have to try._'

Having made up his mind, Danny flew up close to Nai Samurai and delivered a powerful kick that sent the ghost flying back several dozen meters. While the evil ghost was preoccupied with righting his stance, Danny took a deep breath and unleashed his most powerful attack: the ghostly wail.

* * *

"Weird," Renji stated.

"KUROSAKI!" Hitsugaya roared.

Ichigo stopped in the middle of trying to slash the annoying hunter with Zangetsu and turned to the newly arrived shinigamis.

"Hi," Ichigo said. He held up his sword as a shield as Skulker fired an ecto-gun at him. "What are you guys doing here, Toushirou?"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou!" Hitsugaya snapped back.

"Eh, whatever." Ichigo shrugged and sent a kick flying into the ghost's direction.

"Why are you occupying your time fighting a weird metal-suited guy when you could easily perform a konsou on him?" Renji asked.

"I tried, didn't work," Ichigo replied. "Besides…" He thrust his sword at the ghost, only for it to fly straight through the abdomen. "…it's _kinda_ hard to injure him if he can phase through things."

"Oh, but he's so _handsome_!" Matsumoto crooned. The other shinigamis stared at her in shock.

"Did she just—_oof!_" Ichigo was knocked down by a missile that Skulker had fired to take advantage of his distraction.

"I did _not_ just hear Matsumoto complimenting the freaky floating spirit with a fiery green mohawk," Renji said, his eyebrow twitching.

"Hey, I know what I'm doing." Matsumoto sent the other taichous and Renji a wink before turning her attention back to the ghost. Before she could open her mouth, however, Skulker said,

"I am not a spirit. I'm a ghost. And are you the same type of breeds as the orange child?"

"Oh, nice nickname, orange child," Renji called down to Ichigo.

"Shut up!" Ichigo stepped up to their level. "And if I were you, I wouldn't answer that question."

"Breeds?" Byakuya frowned.

"You didn't tell me there was more of your kind, orange child." Skulker sent a nasty grin into Ichigo's direction. "I suppose these are half-ghosts as well?"

"We're spirits, spirit," Hitsugaya said. He clutched the hilt of his zanpakutou. "What business do you have here?"

"What rare prizes," Skulker said, ignoring the dangerous looking zanpakutous that the new people were drawing. "I can certainly add you to my collection."

"What's he talking about?" Renji asked Ichigo.

"It'll be better if you don't know," Ichigo responded.

"Should I have your pelts on my walls?" Skulker mused, dodging a thrust from Hitsugaya's fukutaichou. "Or should I keep your heads as trophies?"

"That's…gross," Matsumoto said, wrinkling her nose.

"Did he just say something about pelts and our heads?" Renji said.

"Chire, Senbonzakura," Byakuya's calm voice intercepted their talk. His zanpakutou began to disappear from the tip to the hilt, dissipating into thousands of pink petals.

"Oh cute," Skulker sneered. "Flower petals."

"Bad idea," Renji said.

"They're not flower petals," Ichigo pointed out.

"They look like it," Matsumoto put in. Everyone except Byakuya directed their attention to her. "What? They're pink and they look like petals!"

"Prepare to die by my blade, spirit," Byakuya said with an emotionless expression on his face.

"One small catch, I'm already dead," Skulker pointed out.

"You can die again," Renji said. "Personally, I hope you don't get reincarnated."

"I'm a _ghost_, tattoo face. I can't die," Skulker said.

"_Tattoo face?_" Renji started indignantly.

Byakuya's scattered "petals" surrounded the hunter in a glowing pink light. Before they could attack him, though, a dreadful moaning sound nearly shook them out of the air. It seemed to rent the very air and pierced their eardrums. Faintly, they could also hear crashing sounds accompanying it.

"What the hell is that?" Ichigo shouted, covering his ears.

"What did you do, spirit?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"I didn't do anything!" Skulker protested, covering his own ears with a very pained expression on his face. "In fact, I don't even know what the heck it is!"

"My eardrums!" Matsumoto wailed.

"Oy! _My _eardrums are paining me enough without you adding to it!" Ichigo snapped.

"Large spike in spiritual energy," Hitsugaya recalled. "Your fight wasn't enough for it, Kurosaki. Kuchiki, do you think?"

"There's another fight going on," the calm taichou said simply. His hands lay by his side. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder if his eardrums were killing him. "There's no reiatsu but it's incredibly powerful."

"Whatever it is, we'd better find out!" Hitsugaya said. "Move out!"

Everyone vanished, leaving the ghost behind.

"Oh, very funny, orange child," Skulker said in a voice that indicated he wasn't amused in the least. "I suppose I should save the hunt for later. I'd rather not stay around and see what is making that dreadful moaning." He vanished from view.

* * *

The green sonic waves tore themselves from his throat and rent the air. They traveled towards the specter on the opposite end, thrusting him backwards. A sound that sounded like hundreds of ghosts moaning broke the stillness of the air and broke the various structures on the ground that were still bold enough to be standing.

Danny felt his strength rapidly fading from the powerful attack he was using. He kept his eyes open, fueling what he had left to power up his ghostly wail. He could distantly see the other ghost being propelled the other way by his attack but could also hear the thundering sounds from the ground that gave a pang to Danny's conscience.

He kept it up for a few more seconds before letting the sound die. Danny panted heavily, trying to catch his breath. He could feel the ectoplasm welling up between his gloved fingers and knew that he was losing a fast amount of blood, or in his ghost form, ectoplasm.

Nai Samurai looked extremely battered to say the least. The flames surrounding his skull-like face had diminished to half their size and his outfit was in tatters. Not to mention his ears were _killing_ him.

"What kind of an attack was that, halfa?" Nai Samurai asked.

Danny smiled wearily and replied, "It's my ghostly wail. Like it?" Nai Samurai scowled. The ghost boy gave a humorless laugh and said, "Figured." Danny unstrapped his thermos and uncapped it. "Ready to go, Nai Samurai?"

"Not in the least, halfa," Nai Samurai said. His body started to glow green. "Did you think I didn't have any more tricks left up my sleeve?"

"Oh crud," Danny muttered, his eyes widening. '_I still have enough energy left for one more ghostly wail but is it worth the risk? I've already leveled several blocks, and that's not counting the damage he did before I countered._'

"Prepare to be annihilated, halfa," Nai Samurai declared, the green glow surrounding him changing into flames. "Splitter—"

"HYAAH!" A figure attacked the ghost mid-word and knocked him down before he could finish his sentence. "Take that, spirit!"

Danny blinked at the appearance of a reddish-blonde haired woman with a huge bust. Her black clothes fluttered in the wind and she had a gleaming sword held out towards Nai Samurai.

"Nice entrance, Rangiku-san." Danny whirled around to see a red-haired guy with a ponytail and tattoos appear behind him. "Who're you, kid?"

"That's Fantomu," Danny heard a familiar voice say. He saw Ichigo appear besides Renji. "A.K.A. Dead Person."

"Dead Person?"

"Don't ask," Danny said. "Who're you guys?" He jumped and splattered some ectoplasm around at the sudden appearance of a snowy white-haired kid and a solemn looking man with black hair. Both wore white coats and the typical black garments he had come to associate with a shinigami.

"Perhaps that's what we should ask you, spirit," the white-haired kid said in a stern voice. "You leveled several blocks and killed God knows how many people." Danny winced. "And who's your opponent?"

"No friend of mine," the halfa responded. "And it wasn't me who leveled the blocks. Ask Nai Samurai. Besides, shouldn't you be in grade school or something?"

The white-haired kid's aquamarine eyes flashed with anger. "I am not as young as I appear, spirit."

"It's Fantomu, not 'spirit'," Danny said irritably. "Besides, from where I stand—er, float—you look like a boy."

Before the boy could retort, a green slice of energy from the Splitter passed between them, blowing their hair backwards.

"It seems the time is unfavorable at the moment for us, halfa," Nai Samurai said, holding the reddish-blonde haired woman off with an ecto-shield. "I shall return to continue our Ghostly Duel to the death at a later…and more favorable time."

Before Nai Samurai could leave, Danny called, "You're not going anywhere! What's going on at my hometown? Answer me!"

The shinigamis stared at the two ghosts, interesting in seeing what was going to happen.

"Why nothing at all, halfa." Nai Samurai wore a sneer. "Your hometown is, as I said before, safe…for now. The ghosts, however, are a different story." His form started to blur. "Don't think you've seen the last of me. You interest me far too much, halfa." When he vanished, words floated around the remaining group, "And my master, too."

"HEY!" Danny shouted at the spot where the ghost had vanished. "How the heck do I get home?"

"Aren't you already home?" Ichigo asked.

Danny jumped, having forgotten that the shinigamis were there. "No. I'm not. I come from…elsewhere."

"Who are you, spirit?" the tattooed face guy asked.

Danny sighed, annoyed. "I am _not_ a spirit. I think I already told Mister Scowly-Face over there that I'm a ghost." Ichigo promptly scowled even more.

"What's the difference?" the woman, or Rangiku, inquired.

"Well, for starters, people can see me whereas they can't see you," Danny pointed out. "From what I've seen from those hollys—"

"Hollows," Ichigo corrected.

"—they don't have the standard ghost powers that I do," Danny continued, ignoring Ichigo. "You guys don't either."

"The standard ghost powers would be what, sp-ghost?" the white-haired kid asked.

"Flying—which you guys are doing, by the way—intangibility, invisibility, and ghost rays," Danny said. "There are others but not all ghosts can do them."

"Are you what made that moaning sound?" the solemn faced man asked.

"Moaning sound?" Danny grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, that'd be me." He winced as his shoulder gave a throb.

"What's your name, kid?" Rangiku inquired.

"It's Fantomu," Danny responded. "Now it's my turn. What're yours?"

"Hitsugaya Toushirou," the white-haired kid said. "Hitsugaya-taichou to you."

"Kuchiki Byakuya," the black-haired man introduced himself. "Kuchiki-taichou."

"Abarai Renji," the red-haired guy said.

"Matsumoto Rangiku," Rangiku said. "Renji and I are fukutaichous."

"Me you already know," Ichigo said, grinning.

Danny tried to keep track of the names but gave up at the Kuchi's guy's last name. He just resolved to avoid addressing them by name.

"Riiight," he said, trying not to appear clueless. "Gotcha. If you don't mind, I'm just gonna go now. Being around when they start cleaning up is not on my list of priorities."

"It was your fault," Hitsi said. "That moaning sound you somehow created caused quite a lot of damage."

Danny was suddenly hit with an extremely bad feeling. He looked down to see the damage he had caused during the fight and saw that even the area below him had been devastated by Nai Samurai's blade attack.

"My friends," he whispered.

"Excuse me?" Aby said.

"They probably ran, right?" Danny was talking to himself now. The others shot him weird looks. "I mean, they didn't stay. They probably—oh, who am I kidding?" He sped down to ground level.

"Hey, Fantomu!" Ichigo called. "What's going on?"

"My friends!" Danny yelled back. '_Please be all right, please be all right._'

* * *

"Found a mailbox, Sam," Tucker said amidst the crowd. "Who's gonna fit in here? You or me?"

Sam stared wordlessly at it before saying, "Preferably both of us. Find something else."

"Hey, kids!" a man running by them said. "You need to run! Hiding isn't going to help."

"We'll be fine," Sam said but the man ran off before he could hear her. "Quick, Tuck, what's the assessment so far?"

Tucker squinted up at the sky. "Danny's in trouble…I think," he added hurriedly at the horrified look on Sam's face. "The ghost he's fighting has a sword. It's glowing green and, oh crud," he finished, his eyes widening.

"What?" Sam looked up, too, before wishing she hadn't. A huge green energy blade was heading straight for them and the whole neighborhood.

"Duck!" Tucker yelled, diving under a car.

"That won't help!" Sam grabbed his shoe and pulled him out. "That thing's going to destroy the whole neighborhood! We need…" She looked around desperately, aware that she only had a few precious seconds. She spied a certain metal plate on the street and grinned despite the seriousness of the situation. "Perfect."

"Wh-SAM!" Tucker was dragged to the entrance to the sewers and pushed inside as Sam dragged it off.

Sam jumped in afterwards and pulled the cover back over just in time as she was blinded by a flash of light. She heard rumbling and the whole ground shook. The two clutched each other in the darkness, petrified with fright. They could hear crashing sounds as it seemed the whole town above their heads was falling down onto their heads. The dirty water at their feet wet their pants and splashed around as the thundering sound above their heads went on.

When it finally seemed to end, the two slowly released their grips on each other's arms and when realizing what they'd been doing, released their grips altogether. Then, the impact of their situation sunk in.

"You _had_ to pick the sewer, didn't you, Sam?" Tucker asked, wrinkling up his nose in the darkness. It _stunk_.

"Shut it. There wasn't any other place," Sam snapped back. "At least we survived. I can't say much else for the people on the surface."

Tucker was silent for a moment, absorbing her words. Then he said, "I hope Danny's doing all right. He's not gonna be happy about the damage and the loss of lives."

"No," Sam whispered. "No, he isn't." She groped around in the darkness and found the wall. "We need to get out of here. Hang on as I try to climb up to open up the top."

"I dunno." Tucker reached for Sam's shoulder to be sure that they stayed together. "How do you know it's not blocked off?"

"We have to try," Sam said desperately. "There's no telling if Danny will ever be able to find us. Even though I _know_ he will. Right?" she added the last bit under her breath.

She reached for the handles that she knew would be there and began to ascend. In a few seconds, she had reached the top and began to feel around for the metal plate that would be there. Once her fingers had grasped it, Sam began to push up on it.

It didn't move. In panic, she reached for the finger holes and attempted to shift it. It budged a little but didn't open the way she had hoped it would. There wasn't even any light filtering through the holes.

"Come on. _Move_," Sam pleaded, taking her other hand off the handlebar to push. "Please. _Please _move." In a last-ditch effort, she jumped straight off the ladder to push against the plate, only to fall back into the filthy water. She restrained a sob.

"It's all right, Sam," Tucker said, although Sam could tell he was trying to convince himself, too. "We'll find a way out of here."

Before Sam could reply, the whole sewer began shaking as further impacts on the above ground continued. And accompanying it, was a moaning sound that chilled the two friends to their very core.

"He's in trouble," Sam said in a hollow voice. "He wouldn't use the Ghostly Wail unless he's in trouble." She offered a last bit to the heavens in a prayer, "_Please_ be all right, Danny. Please," she whispered.

"He will be, Sam," Tucker said, trying to reassure her. "He's _Phantom_, right?"

Sam sighed and said, "If Danny finds us, how are we going to know? I mean, we could buried twenty feet under. Most of all, how's _he_ going to know he found us?"

"He's a ghost, Sam," Tucker reminded her. "He'll phase through it."

"I know that. But how's he going to _find_ us? We didn't exactly leave a sign up there saying, 'We're buried here. Please phase through to reach us.' "

"Yell?" Tucker suggested gloomily. He was getting tired of not seeing anything.

"Good as anything, I suppose."

* * *

At the moment, Danny didn't care if he was going to blow his cover as being an inter-dimensional traveler. All he cared about was finding his friends and seeing if they were alive.

'_He has friends?_' Ichigo followed the ghost boy to the rubble that used to be a part of Karakura Town. '_How can that be? He's a spirit—no…he's a ghost._'

"My friends!" Danny yelled again. He reached the ground and alighted on a piece of rubble that looked like it might have been a building. He scoured the mess that lay before, behind, and below him. "How am I going to find them?"

"You have friends, Fantomu?" Matsumoto asked.

"Is that a problem?" Danny replied, starting to shift some stones that appeared to be from the building he was standing on. He winced as he saw a hand poke out from under it. "Oh no." Danny paled and sat down hard on another piece of rock. "What have I done?"

He gingerly prodded aside further rubble with his white boot to see if it was his friend, which he desperately hoped it wasn't. He was rewarded by some blonde hair and a mashed up pulp that might've passed for a face at an earlier time. Danny could feel his face turn green and promptly had to choke down some bile he could feel coming up.

"What have I done?" he whispered again.

Ichigo watched as the white-haired teen started to move some more rubble with his uninjured arm. He could feel the agony pouring off the spi—ghost as he searched for his friends. Ichigo knew the chances that they had survived were slim at best. What had been a whole neighborhood had just…collapsed.

"Uh, Fantomu," Ichigo said awkwardly, "I don't mean to burst your bubble, but…"

"They're probably dead," Hitsugaya finished flatly.

Ichigo winced. '_Did he have to be so harsh?_'

Danny stiffened visibly. When he finally found his voice he said harshly, "You don't know my friends. I _know_ they're alive."

"Picking off where Ichigo left it and before Hitsugaya-taichou finished," Renji put in, "I think the odds of them surviving are pretty slim."

"I know," Danny muttered. "But, I…just can't believe it." '_Please. Please be alive._'

He bowed his head and, eyes glowing a fierce green, started to kick around some rubble to start searching. The shinigamis looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

* * *

Sam and Tucker stood in the dark sewer amongst filthy and stinking water. Both were weary of standing but didn't want to sit down in the putrid mess that lay around their shins.

"Do you think Danny's searching for us?" Tucker broke the silence.

"He probably is," Sam said quietly. "I haven't heard anything. But then, I haven't been able to hear something from up there for a while."

"How will we know?" Tucker said. "You know, when he's looking?"

"Maybe we'll hear something," Sam said, trying to study her combat boots but failing miserably in the total darkness. She had a feeling that there was something rotting sitting on them.

"I hope," Tucker said, glancing up at where the ceiling was. "But for all we know, he could be lying—"

"Don't say that!" Sam snapped. She shot a glare at Tucker that he couldn't see. "I believe in Danny. He won't—he _can't_…" Her voice broke into sobs. "He can't die," she whispered.

"It was just a thought," Tucker said, trying to cheer her up. An idea struck him. "Hey, it's awfully _girly_ of you to just cry." Sam stopped crying and gave Tucker a sharp glance that would've given him the quakes if he could've seen it. "I thought it was…oh, I don't know…not like a Goth?" Tucker said slyly. He had a feeling he was getting on Sam's nerves.

"Shut up!" Sam gave her friend a hard punch in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Tucker rubbed his sore shoulder, muttering dark things to Sam that made the girl smile. When he was finished, he too smiled in the dark, knowing he had managed to cheer up his friend.

* * *

Danny sat down, panting, as he failed to lift up a particularly large piece of rubble that looked suspiciously like a building. His right arm was still useless from the attack that Nai Samurai had used on it but the feeling was slowly returning. His shoulder gave him no end of pain, though.

"I really," Ichigo started, but broke off as Danny gave the junk he had been trying to move for the last so many minutes a huge kick that sent it flying several feet before coming down with a loud crash. He then picked up from where he had left off: "I really don't think you can do anything, Fantomu." He scratched his orange hair nervously as the glowing teen moved over some more rubble.

Finally, Danny said something, "I…know. But, I _have_ to try. They're…they're my friends." He closed his eyes in resolution as he reached through some rubble to feel something warm and instinctively recoiled before pulling it up through the stones.

"You're giving yourself mental images that you'd probably not have," Renji stated blandly.

Danny gave a hollow laugh and said, "I've seen enough dead people to last most people their whole entire lives." He shifted some stones with his good hand and continued, "My kind of dead people are ghosts, though. I've never seen real dead people as I always try to minimize the damage and save them before anything happens." He smiled bitterly as he passed over a shoe in the dust. "This time, I couldn't do anything. So many people died because I couldn't stop one crazy ghost from using one of his most powerful attacks." He gave a sigh and turned to the silent shinigamis that were observing him. "Are you going to try to help me? I know it's probably useless…and stupid…but I _have_ to know if they're alive or…" Danny took another deep breath and continued solidly, "…or dead."

* * *

"What time is it?" Sam asked. Then she realized how stupid and irrelevant her question was and almost laughed.

Tucker, however, immediately pulled out a PDA, much to Sam's surprise, and said, "It's nearly seven."

"You still carry around a PDA even during this time?" Sam bit back a laugh.

"Hey, I didn't see any reason to chuck it while we were in that mob up there," Tucker shot back defensively. "It's my—"

"Baby, I know," Sam finished, a grin creeping up on her face even though she tried to suppress it. Good thing Tucker couldn't see it. "Well, does it work?"

"What do you want to know?" Tucker asked.

"The news," Sam said.

Tucker's PDA screen glowed as he started to press buttons to get the information he wanted. Finally, a small popup showed and a voice started playing, startling Sam.

"_We are currently flying over what used to be part of Karakura Town,_" a woman's voice could be heard saying. "_It's…horrible to comprehend. The loss of lives is as of yet undetermined but experts agree that it's most likely in the hundreds._" Sam watched as a small video played on the PDA screen, showing the ruined part of the town that they were probably stranded under. The news people were most likely in the air, judging from the video. "_Authorities refuse to release the cause of the damage but rumors speculate that two specters were apparently fighting over the area. Here's a video from an amateur who made it out in time._"

The scene cut to a blurry scene between two floating figures that Sam could barely identify as Danny and the ghost he was fighting. It played the small fight up until a glowing green blade swooped down on the town and a huge dust storm came up.

"_As we can see, there are two beings in the air and fighting,_" the woman's voice said. "_From what we can determine from this video, it seems the green being vanquished most of the town. What further caused it to collapse is unknown. We'll return with more after this short break._" It cut to a commercial and Tucker turned it off, leaving them in darkness once again.

"Hey, at least we know he's all right," Tucker said.

"It didn't say that," Sam said, sliding down the wall before remembering that there was sewer water at her feet. "It only showed us what we already know. That we're trapped under a mound of rubble and that Danny fought against a ghost that destroyed so many innocent lives. It didn't tell us if Danny is trying to find us. If he's even"—she whispered the last part—"alive."

Tucker remained silent for a moment before saying, "Your doom and gloom mood is catching. You know that, right?"

"I wouldn't be a Goth if I couldn't do that," Sam responded.

They passed a few more minutes in silence before Tucker began to absently hum a few lyrics from what suspiciously began to sound like an Ember "You Will Remember" song. It took all of Sam's willpower to not strike him dumb. After all, they _were _buried under a ton of rubble and Tucker deserved his singing. Right?

Sam gritted her teeth and repressed the urge to cover her ears and protect them from Tucker's horribly off-key singing.

'_If he doesn't stop in the next five minutes,_' Sam promised herself silently, '_I am going to gag him with whatever I find in this water. Preferably, a very, very rotten banana peel. If I can find it that is. I can always dunk my sock in the water before stuffing it in his mouth._'

Sam was saved from carrying out her decision when some loud noises from above broke Tucker's horrible humming. Both teens looked up, terrified that the ceiling would cave in and bury them alive in the horribly stinky sewer water. Not that it wasn't horrible enough to die from suffocation from being gagged by the putrid odors of the sewer waters, oh nooo.

"What is it?" Sam whispered, her heart beat slowing down as the noises ceased.

'_Wow. Sam scared isn't something we see every day._' Tucker swallowed his fear and, in what he hoped wasn't in a quavering voice, said, "Maybe someone's moving the stuff up there?"

"It's too soon for that," Sam murmured, her purple eyes searching the dark for any spot of nonexistent light. "It would take a day before they'd be able to get anyone out here. That means—"

"_It's Danny!_" both of them finished in delighted tones.

* * *

Renji was helping Ichigo lift up a large slab of a building when he thought he heard something. The fukutaichou dropped the side he had been charge of and, while ignoring the swears coming from the other shinigami, listened more attentively.

"Fantomu," Renji called to the ghost boy. The halfa floated over to the red-haired shinigami after putting back some rubble that had been covering up a particularly mutilated body. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Danny cocked his head to see if he could hear anything.

Soon, he could hear faint sounds that he was identifying as belonging to his friends.

"Sam?" he said, delighted. He ignored the confused looks the shinigamis were shooting him. "Tucker? Where are you?"

"Ignoring the weird names," Renji muttered. He pointed to a large slab of concrete on what should've been the street. "It sounds like it's coming from over there."

"_Sam! Tucker!_" Ichigo couldn't help but feel his heart lift at the joyful tone the ghost boy's voice was taking.

He strained his ears to hear what Renji had heard and, apparently, Fantomu. "Danny!" He frowned, trying to remember where he had last heard that name. "Danny! We're over here!" He heard a different voice. "We're in the sewers, man!"

"Hang on!" Danny called to the slab of concrete.

Ichigo had to refrain from smiling at the next sentence. "We don't have anything to hang on to here! Unless you count your girlfriend."

"Need help?" Matsumoto asked Danny, who was trying to lift up the slab with both arms.

Danny strained for a few moments before his arm gave such a violent throb he had to let go, biting back a cry of pain.

"Here, let me," Matsumoto was cut off as Danny's body turned into a misty blue form.

As he turned intangible, Danny had one thought running through his mind: '_They're alive!_'

"What did he do?" Hitsugaya asked no one, watching as the ghost boy literally slipped through the slab of concrete.

"Amazing," Matsumoto murmured, inspecting the spot where the teen had disappeared. "He just went…straight through it."

Danny flew through the slabs of stone and soon, he wasn't even in the pressing darkness that signaled he was in the stone. He was in a different kind of darkness. He turned tangible and lit up a small ecto-ball to see. What he saw lifted up his heart and cause a grin to cross his face.

"Sam? Tucker?"

His two friends looked up to see Danny grinning in the eerie green light that his ecto-ball provided.

"Danny!" Sam cried. She would've rushed to hug him if it weren't for the fact that Tucker was standing right next to her.

"Oh boy. You have _no_ idea how glad I am to see you!" Tucker said, grinning. "I'd give you a friendly hug but first, mind phasing us out of here? It _stinks_."

Danny sniffed the air for a moment before a disgusted look crossed his face. "So it does. Hang on."

He extinguished the light and grabbed his friends' arms to turn them intangible. Danny lifted them all up and flew through the top of the sewer.

"Yes!" Tucker crowed as they reached the top. "Daylight!" He sniffed the air and smiled rapturously. "Beautiful fresh air!"

"Danny, you're hurt," Sam said, looking at her friend's shoulder.

"It's nothing," he cut her off before she could say more. "It'll heal quickly."

"That's what you always say," Sam said, inspecting the wound. "Did that sword the ghost have go right through your arm?"

'_If I tell her that, she's gonna freak_.' Danny instead said, "No, it's just a graze. Even though it doesn't look like a graze," he added hurriedly at Sam's skeptical look.

Danny sneaked a glance at the shinigamis and saw them looking at Tucker concernedly, who was right now kissing his PDA.

"Relax," he told them. "He's always like this."

"Hey, Danny?" Sam asked, leaving the subject of Danny's arm for a more favorable one. "Who're you talking to?"

"Oh right. You can't see them, can you?" Danny said.

"See who?" Tucker said, stopping his victory celebration to take off his shoe in order to dump out some water. "Man, this _stinks_."

"They can't see us?" Renji asked.

"No," Danny said, much to Sam's puzzlement. "They're regular, uh—do you call them 'humans'?"

"Mortals," Byakuya prompted.

"Did you just call us humans?" Sam said indignantly, much to the others' amusement. "I can't believe you, Danny! I mean, we're your friends!"

"Well, _they_ call you mortals," Danny defended himself, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the blackly-clad spirits.

"Why's she calling you 'Danny', Fantomu?" Ichigo asked. "And how do you know Yori and Yabun?"

Danny sighed, realizing their cover was as good as blown now. "Well…they know me as Danny, not as Fantomu."

"You're talking to who again, Danny?" Tucker said, gazing at Danny in concern. "I hope that ghost you fought didn't cause any brain damage."

"I'm talking to a group of shinigamis," Danny said.

"Oh, you mean those Death Gods that Sam was insisting that didn't exist?" Tucker asked.

"The same."

"Ohhh." Tucker's face looked enlightened. "I get it… Not."

"Perhaps you'd better explain, spi—ghost, as to what's going on here," Hitsugaya demanded.

"Fine. But first off, do you mind canning it on the 'ghost' talk?" Danny said, irritated. "I have a name. Use it please. I don't call _you_ 'the white-haired shorty kid with an attitude', now do I?"

"I am _not_ a kid," Hitsugaya objected.

"Sure you are," Matsumoto said for Danny. "You just don't act like one."

"Hey, thanks," Danny said, grinning.

"I think introductions would make it easier for your friends to understand who and what you're talking to," Ichigo said.

Sam and Tucker were now thoroughly confused as to what the one-sided exchange was going on about. Apparently, someone had called Danny "ghost" instead of using his name.

"OK. I'll be introducing them, all right?" Danny said to Sam and Tucker. "There's a black-haired shinigami with a white robe and he's called, let's see…right. He's called Kuchi Biki"—Byakuya's face turned dark while Ichigo repressed a snicker—"red-haired tattooed guy going by Aby Rej—"

"Hey!" Renji growled.

"—a woman by Matsy Rangiku—"

"At least he got the last part correct," Matsumoto said.

"—white-haired boy with the name Hitsi Toshi"—Hitsugaya shot Danny a glare that could've killed the half-ghost on the spot if it weren't for the fact that Danny was already a ghost—"and Kurosaki Ichigo," Danny finished.

"Hey, how come Ichigo's name the only one you got correct?" Renji asked.

"He introduced himself first," Danny said, deciding not to reveal that he was also "Shikyo". He had a feeling that wouldn't sit too well with the shinigamis.

"Hey, the Kurosaki Ichigo from school, you mean?" Tucker said, absorbing this new information.

"You know these kids, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya asked Ichigo.

"Well, yeah," Ichigo said. "They go to my school. In fact, they've got another friend always with them but he's not here." Ichigo frowned and looked around before letting his eyes rest on a visibly nervous Danny. "Hey, do you know Shikyo by any chance?"

"_Shikyo_?" Renji started.

"I know. That was my reaction, too, on hearing that," Ichigo said.

"Uh…" Danny rubbed the back of neck nervously, shooting a glance at his friends, who were staring at him. He sighed, knowing that they had no idea what they were talking about. "Well, a bit. He's their friend, right?"

"Are you talking about Shikyo?" Sam said, realization dawning on her face. "You know him, Danny, you're—oh, wait, you haven't told them yet?"

"No," Danny said.

'_Told them what? And what was she going to say?_' Ichigo thought, watching the verbal exchange with some confusion.

"Well, our cover is basically blown now," Sam said, stepping over a light bulb to walk over to her friend. "It shouldn't hurt to tell them the basics. You don't have to tell them about _that_, though, if you don't want to."

The shinigamis watched with puzzlement. They were obviously dancing around a big secret but what?

"Yeah, you can just tell them we come from a universe where everyone hates your guts!" Tucker said brightly.

The silence that followed could've been broken with a butter knife.

Finally, Hitsugaya said, "You've got some explaining to do, Fantomu."

* * *

"You've returned, Nai Samurai," a dark voice said from the shadows. All that could be seen from it were the reddish-green eyes and a tall silhouette.

"Yes, Master." The ghost kneeled down on a knee, his sword sheathed.

"I trust it was profitable?" the Master said lightly.

"The ghosts have all been subdued and accounted for except for a rare few that were apparently taken to the dimension of Karakura," Nai Samurai responded, keeping his head low.

"Those can be captured with due time," the Master said, shifting slightly. "I trust that you are not withholding anything from me, Nai Samurai?"

"I…encountered the halfa when I arrived in Karakura," Nai Samurai said hesitantly.

"Did he prove formidable?"

"Yes, his power grows," Nai Samurai said. "He has much potential."

"Interesting," Nai Samurai's master said quietly. His voice sent chills down Nai Samurai's back. "Has he had an encounter with the spirits of that realm?"

"The spirits of that realm?" Nai Samurai repeated, confused.

"There are two spirits. Shinigamis and the hollows that you are already acquainted with," his Master explained. "It is what makes that world so interesting."

"I do not know, Master," Nai Samurai said. "I only know that I had an incident with them myself before leaving. Whether the halfa remained behind to chat is unknown."

"I cannot allow my actions to go reported to those spirits," the Master said harshly. Nai Samurai flinched as he saw the silhouette's eyes flash a dangerous red. "If they do, count yourself as extremely unfortunate, my friend."

"Yes, sir." Nai Samurai got up and made as if to leave.

"Wait." Nai Samurai stopped and turned around. "The hollows you left behind in that other world are getting dangerously close to that castle. If he were to get out, well, it would be rather unfortunate, wouldn't it?"

"Understood, Master." Nai Samurai bowed before vanishing.

The silhouette's reddish-green eyes disappeared once before reappearing again. "Interesting, halfa. I shall see you soon…"

* * *

**The villain has now been introduced! EDIT (02/23/10): **I changed the description of his eyes.

**What will Danny and his friends reveal to the shinigamis? How will the shinigamis react to their story and the information they reveal? Who is the mysterious master? What castle is he talking about? And what happened to the ghosts of the Ghost Zone? These are all excellent questions but, sadly, not all of them will be revealed immediately. ;) Keep tuned for more!****  
**


	7. Explanations

**I am going to use one of _SpartanCommander's_ suggestions here. I would've come up with a background story myself but _SpartanCommander's_ suggestion for a cover story is so appealing I'm just going to help myself to it. Thanks, _SpartanCommander_!**

**Thanks to _Hikari1994, PLC the CD, SpartanCommander, Bored2Deth, mimifoxlove, Nova Bucker, NarutoPhantom, Hordak's Pupil, shootingstar135, FantomoDrake, MaStEr-Of-YoUr-FaTe, DeathReaper01_, and _The Violent Tomboy_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: Since I obviously don't own either of these shows, can I move on?**

* * *

** Chapter 7: Explanations**

* * *

"You have some explaining to do, Fantomu," Hitsugaya said.

Danny grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, do you want the whole story or just a little?"

"The whole story," Byakuya said for the other taichou.

Sam was looking at Danny when a bright light struck her face. "Wait. Do they want you to explain?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. They've got questions."

"No problem." Sam was grinning. "Why don't you let me do the explaining, Danny? I mean, you don't know the whole story."

"I don't?" Danny frowned.

"Sure. You came in later, right?" Sam sent Danny a wink.

'_Oh. I get it. She's got a cover story._' Danny nodded, smiling. "Right."

"You guys can hear me, correct?" Sam asked the shinigamis.

"Yeah, they can," Danny answered for them.

"You've probably noticed that Yori and Yabun aren't our real names," Sam started.

"I'll say," Ichigo interrupted. "I heard you talking with Yori, or should I say, _Tucker,_ and I heard your real names. You're calling Shikyo 'Danny', too."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, Sam, they want to know why we both have the same name. Shikyo and me that is."

"We come from America," Sam continued. "That's why our names are Sam, Tucker, and Danny. In answer to your question, I'll explain about him, too." She nodded towards Danny, who smiled nervously.

"Why do you call him Danny?" Renji asked.

"Rej wants to know why you call me Danny," Danny said to Sam.

"It's _Renji_," Renji said with an irritated look on his face.

"Didn't I already say I was going to explain that?" Sam said, irritated. "We call him Danny because that's who he is to us. He's Danny. Are you going to let me move on or not?"

"Shoot."

Danny nodded the affirmative and Sam went on, "Tucker, Danny, and I were going to a library on a weekend. We moved to the occult section and found a really cool book about spirits of the dead. I, being a Goth, was intrigued and convinced my friends we had to check it out."

"You did?" Tucker said. Sam gave him a jab in the side with her elbow and he made up, "Oh yeah you did!" He grinned nervously. "Must've gotten confused with some other library trip."

"When we checked out the book, the first thing we did was read it to find out that there was a spell in it to summon spirits of the dead. After that, we were immediately curious to see if it would work," Sam continued. "We got all the stuff ready and read it out from the book." Her voice was low now. "When we were finished, an eerie green smoke started to creep into the room. We couldn't breathe and nearly fainted when it disappeared without a trace, along with the book we had used to summon the spirit. Imagine our surprise when we saw him"—she nodded towards the halfa—"floating above us, looking confused."

"So what's with 'Fantomu'?" Matsumoto asked at the same as Ichigo said, "Why's he called Danny, too?"

Danny relayed both questions to Sam, who nodded, looking a little irritated. "Didn't I tell you I'm getting to that? Anyway, it turned out that Danny hadn't been the only spirit we summoned. There were some really evil spirits in the mix, too. We also found out that Danny's word for them was 'ghosts' and not 'spirits'."

"Is there a difference?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"As far as I know," Danny replied, holding up a hand to stop Sam, "I'm not aware of any difference. Where I come from, we call ourselves 'ghosts', not 'spirits'. There may be a difference or there may not." Danny shrugged. He gestured for Sam to continue.

"Those ghosts were totally and utterly evil," Sam said. "They wreaked absolute havoc on our hometown and a lot of people died. Finally, Danny was able to trap them and put them back where they came from. Unfortunately, the public already knew of our role in summoning them." She faked a gulp—which Danny had to admit was extremely realistic—and went on in a trembling voice, "The government agreed to help us and placed us under the witness protection program. So we moved here and changed our names. Danny came with us and I dubbed him 'Fantomu'."

"What's up with the whole 'Dead Person' thing then?" Ichigo asked.

Danny flushed. "Just a nickname the other ghosts came up with for my emblem."

"What's up, Danny?" Sam shot him a curious look.

"Nothing. Keep going," Danny said.

"You still haven't explained about why both Fantomu here and Shikyo have the same names," Ichigo jumped in again. "Y-Sam was going to say something about him before she cut herself off. And what's the 'that' that she was talking about?"

"Ichigo's again asking about why we have the same names," Danny said. "And…he also wants to know about 'that.' " He shot her a significant glance.

"We found out that this Danny here"—she gestured to the ghost boy—"shared the same name as our friend shortly after summoning him," Sam said. "We don't know why they do share the same first name but, again, this Danny here said that his name was Danny, just like our Danny. The 'that' that we were talking about is…" She thought for a moment before saying hurriedly, "This may sound weird, okay? But please don't act skeptical. It also has to do with the name sharing thing."

'_Don't tell me she's going to say that the reasons our names are the same is because I'm half-ghost_.' Danny's heart—if he had one—threatened to stop. '_Something tells me that is not going to sit well with these people._'

"You're not going to tell them _that_, are you, Sam?" Tucker blurted out.

"Well, sure, Tuck," Sam said, shooting him an annoyed look. "I already said our cover was blown."

"But—but that's Danny's secret!" Tucker said.

"Shut him up," Sam hissed to Danny.

"Tuck, let Sam do the talking," Danny said. He whispered to his friend, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do," she whispered back. Then, "You see, we found recently that Danny…that this Danny is in a way part of our Danny."

'_What's that supposed to mean?_' Danny watched for the shinigamis' reactions.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Byakuya asked.

'_Déjà vu. He read my mind._' Danny repeated his question to Sam.

"For some reason that we can't figure out, Danny has some of Danny's traits," Sam explained. "That's why I said this Danny should know Danny. Because he retains some of his traits."

"Well, that explains most of it," Hitsugaya said. "But what of your friend's declaration that in another universe they hate your guts?"

"He meant the ghosts' universe," Danny clarified. Sam shot him a confused look and Tucker doubly so. In fact, he looked absolutely mystified. "Tuck meant that the ghosts hate my guts."

"And why?" Ichigo asked. "I mean, what reason do they have?"

Danny shifted uncomfortably, feeling the stones clatter beneath his feet. He tried not to think about all the people that were probably lying under him. "I'm not exactly popular there. There's also a human realm in that universe and the ghosts preferred to hang out there rather than in their own world. I kinda…I kinda had a hand in dumping them back into their home realm."

"Why did they want to hang out in the human world?" Matsumoto asked.

"They wanted to take over the world," Danny said. "You should hear a few of them rant on _what_ they're going to use to take over the world."

Ichigo had a sudden revelation. "Oh. Would the Box Ghost be from that universe by any chance?"

"Yes," Danny said cautiously. "It seems that there's something going on there and he managed to turn up here."

"The book perhaps?" Hitsugaya said.

"Maybe." '_That book doesn't even exist._'

"_What_ are you talking about?" Sam said. "It's getting confusing hearing only one perspective."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "As far as I can see, you're talking to yourself, buddy."

"Any other questions?" Danny asked, ignoring Tucker.

"Yeah. Do you happen to know Skulker by any chance?" Ichigo said, getting looks from the others. "He said he was the 'Ghost Zone's greatest hunter' or something like that."

"Oh, _him._" Danny grinned. "Don't worry about it. He'll only be after you if you're really rare or a really good specimen that he doesn't have yet."

"Was that the ghost with you, Ichigo?" Renji asked.

"Yup."

"He was hunting you?" Danny said. "What for?"

"Said something about me being a 'half-ghost'," Ichigo recalled.

Danny paled noticeably before saying, "Are you?"

"It's preposterous," Hitsugaya said. "One can't be half-ghost. It'd be against the laws of nature."

"Well, maybe the fact that I have a human body has something to do with it," Ichigo admitted.

Danny shook his head and smiled pityingly, much to the bemusement of his two friends. "I feel sorry for you."

"Why?" Ichigo was perplexed. "Surely he's going to give up, right?"

Danny studied Ichigo before saying, "You don't know Skulker very well, do you?"

"Are you talking about Skulker?" Tucker brightened visibly. "That guy totally has it in for Danny!"

"Shut it, Tuck," Sam said. "You don't even know what they're talking about."

"Do you know where he went?" Danny asked Ichigo. "He's a dangerous ghost to have on the loose."

"We left him behind when we heard that moaning," Ichigo admitted. "I don't know where he went. Is that bad?"

"You'll find out," Danny said. '_Wonder what Skulker has up his metallic sleeve for Ichigo?_'

"Questions aside, I think you have to come in with us, Danny," Hitsugaya said.

It took Danny a second to register what the short taichou had said. "What?"

* * *

There are three castles in the Ghost Zone. One is Clockwork's, master of time. This castle is, coincidentally, shaped like a giant clock tower and is filled with hundreds of, again, clocks. The second is the lair of the dragons. The last is the darkest and most forbidden place in the Ghost Zone. This is Pariah Dark's lair and where the Fright Knight rests, keeping watch over his former master. It is around this castle that the various hollows are gathering.

However, it is as if an invisible barrier is set up around the castle. They dare not approach too close and are all a safe distance away from it.

"I see you have at least some resemblance of sanity," a familiar voice broke into their midst. Nai Samurai was floating behind them, gazing at the castle. "Had you gone in there, it would not have been pretty."

A hollow roared defiantly.

"Yes, yes." Nai Samurai looked disgusted. "I know you want to feed on the spiritual energy here but the ghosts here would not even let you get within ten feet of their person before blasting you into oblivion."

A green flash of light was seen within the castle and a streak appeared. The black blur stopped moving before Nai Samurai. It turned out to be the Fright Knight, his Soul Shredder held at the ready.

"Well well," the Fright Knight said. "I was enjoying a nice quiet time at the castle when I heard a great deal of noise from out here. What are you doing, Samurai, in the company of these monsters?" He gestured to the hollows surrounding the two ghosts.

"It is no longer Samurai but Nai Samurai," Nai Samurai said, a leer crossing his face. "It turns out I was mistaken when I said all the ghosts were taken care of. How did you get out of that pumpkin, oh, Master of Halloween?"

"I suppose you didn't hear about the ghost king's latest rampage?" the Fright Knight said. "I was released then and have been keeping an eye on the sarcophagus."

"I suppose the old goon won't mind if I claim his throne for myself then," Nai Samurai said.

"_He_ may not mind but _I_ mind," the Fright Knight said. "What insanity has caused you to act this way, Samurai?"

"I grew tired of always being the one who carried out the orders and never being the one who gave the orders," the other ghost responded. "Then I thought, why can't I be the ghost king?"

"What happened to the rest of the inhabitants of the Ghost Zone?" the Fright Knight asked.

"Didn't I say it before? They have been taken care of," Nai Samurai said. "Now only you remain as Pariah Dark lies in his Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. Be a good Frighty and go back into your pumpkin."

"I cannot allow you to do so," the Fright Knight said, holding up his Soul Shredder in a challenge.

"Very well," Nai Samurai said, drawing his Splitter. "A Ghostly Duel it is."

"Ghostly Duel? Wherever have you been to get such ideas in your head?" the Fright Knight asked.

"Why, Japan, in case it wasn't painfully obvious." Nai Samurai leapt towards the Fright Knight.

The hollows cleared a wide area for the two ghosts and moved back, watching as the two exchanged blows.

Nai Samurai swung his sword in a wide arc to try and clear the Fright Knight's head. The other ghost simply ducked and counterattacked by swiping at Nai Samurai's legs, which promptly turned intangible to avoid it.

Nai Samurai's sword glowed green and he drew the sword back before swinging it down in the direction of the Fright Knight. A large blade of energy flew through the air to pierce the Fright Knight's armor. The impact threw the Halloween ghost backwards and into the group of hollows. They immediately pushed the ghost back into the fight.

"Doesn't this remind you of old times?" Nai Samurai said, pretending to reminisce about the old days.

"In the old days you weren't as sick as you are now," the Fright Knight shot back. "Neither did we—what did you call it? Oh yes, a 'Ghostly Duel'. Neither did we battle in Ghostly Duels."

"You injure me," Nai Samurai said, pretending to be wounded. "In any case, I think it's time to close the curtains on this fight."

"How shall you do that if I don't allow you?" the Fright Knight asked.

"Simple." Nai Samurai grinned, his green eyes flashing. "I simply ask the hollows surrounding you to finish the job while I watch."

"I suppose you do realize that these pathetic things are nowhere near my level of power?"

"Well, yes," Nai Samurai said. "But I don't need them to destroy you. It turns out that they have a new power which they previously didn't."

"What power would that be?" The Fright Knight braced his feet on the air, holding his sword in both hands.

"Why don't you find out?" Without warning, Nai Samurai whipped his sword down, sending an arc of energy straight towards the Soul Shredder, ripping it out of the ghost's hands. It soared towards the hollows. "Do show him, will you?" he requested of the hollows.

They responded by opening their mouths and creating a red beam of energy. The dozen beams struck the sword and with a flash of red light, the Soul Shredder disappeared, leaving only red sparkles.

"My sword!" The Fright Knight whirled around to face Nai Samurai. "What have you done with my Soul Shredder?" he demanded.

"Oh nothing," Nai Samurai said airily, twirling his own sword around in the air. "I think you'll soon catch up with it at any rate."

"What do you mean by that?"

Nai Samurai's voice held a threatening note in it. "Why don't you find out for yourself, Fright Knight?"

The Fright Knight's green eyes widened in surprise as the hollows surrounded him and began to roar, each forming their own individual red sphere of light in their mouths. With another roar, they all released it, hitting the Fright Knight.

The knight knew only red until it faded into black. Distantly, he also heard a weird distorting sound and felt the space around him warp until he blacked out.

Nai Samurai, meanwhile, was watching the results of his work with relish.

"Perfect," he said. "Now, be dears and try not to cause any trouble?" he said to the hollows. "This world has plenty of the spiritual energy that you like to feed on. Just don't harm the mortals for now as they will have some use for my master."

The hollows scattered into different areas of the Ghost Zone. Nai Samurai watched them leave with a twisted smile on his face.

* * *

"W-wait. What did you say?" Danny stammered, thinking he hadn't heard properly. "W-why do you need me to come in?"

"Isn't it obvious, Fantomu? Or Danny or whichever name you prefer." Renji was rambling now. Ichigo nudged—or rather jabbed—him to get him to shut up.

"We need you to come in because you know a great deal about these new spirits around here," Hitsugaya said. "Besides, you don't exactly belong here."

"What if I don't want to come in?" Danny said defiantly.

"What's going on, Danny?" Sam asked.

"They want me to come with them," Danny murmured to her.

"_What?_" Sam shrieked. All those present immediately covered their ears. "Oh, sorry. I mean, what?"

"I need you to come in with us," Hitsugaya said evenly. "Please tell your friend that. Also…" He pulled out a strange device with a birdie head on the top. "I will need to erase their memories."

"You can't do that!" Danny said furiously. "They're my friends!"

"They shouldn't even know of your existence," Matsumoto said. "Quite frankly, they shouldn't know about us either. It's safer this way."

"I dunno," Ichigo said nervously. "Is this necessary? I mean, you could just bring Fantomu in and leave his friends alone."

"You know the rules, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya said. "Mortals aren't permitted to know of our existence."

"Right. And that _totally_ explains why you didn't erase my memory," Ichigo said.

"You're a shinigami," Renji pointed out.

"So will you come in with us?" Matsumoto asked Danny.

"I already gave you my answer. _No_," Danny repeated firmly. "I have to stay here and work out this mess."

"What can you do here?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow.

"Fix what should be fixed," Danny said. "There are ghosts coming here that shouldn't even be here. Heck, _I_ shouldn't even be here."

"You're right," Hitsugaya said. "You belong in Soul Society."

"Hey, Sam? What's Soul Society?" Danny asked his friend.

"You're asking me? How should I know?" Sam put up her hands. "I read a ton of books but that doesn't explain every aspect of what you want to know."

"It will only take a moment," Hitsugaya said, his thumb lingering over the strange device in his hand.

"Didn't I already tell you? _No,_" Danny said furiously. He backed up to grab his friends' arms and lifted them up, ignoring the slight pain in his shoulder. The wound in his chest was already almost healed. "It was nice meeting you and all but I _really_ have to go."

"Wait!" Matsumoto called out just as Hitsugaya's thumb hit the trigger, triggering a smoke cloud.

Danny flashed to invisibility and took off before his friends could be touched by the smoke.

"Danny! What's going on?" Sam said, trying to hold on to her friend as he flew at breakneck speed.

Danny gritted his teeth but said, "They wanted to erase your memories of me and take me into Soul Society, where they probably come from."

"But that would mean erasing everything!" Tucker yelped, alarmed.

"I know," Danny said grimly. "That's why I took off so quickly so they couldn't do anything."

"But that doesn't solve anything," Sam said. "We still have to face Ichigo at school."

"We can avoid him," was the brisk reply.

"How?" Tucker asked disbelievingly. "We share the same classes!"

"That doesn't mean you have to talk to him," Danny said.

Danny looked down at the huge mess below him and his throat constricted. It had been _him_ who had taken all those lives away. If only he had caught that darn ghost before anything had happened.

"It's not your fault, Danny," Sam said, reading his face. "You couldn't know that he would completely annihilate the town while trying to get you."

"What _is_ my fault is that I didn't catch him in the first place," Danny said.

"He was strong, wasn't he?" Tucker asked.

Danny nodded. "He was friends with the Fright Knight."

"The Fright Knight has _friends_?" Sam couldn't resist asking.

"I guess even a Halloween spirit has chums to hang out with," Danny answered, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"That is _so_ wrong," Tucker muttered, clutching his friend's arm as a violent gust of wind nearly dislodged him. "What happened to your chest?"

"It's fine," Danny said quickly. "It's healing really well."

"What about your arm?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "It's gotta be paining you from holding me up."

"It's fine," Danny said. It _was_ paining him but he wouldn't admit it. "I've—"

"Had worse?" Sam finished. "I don't think so, Danny. It's still bleeding."

"I already told you. It's _fine_," Danny insisted, annoyed. He was now reaching the edge of the destruction and was getting to structures that he could actually recognize as houses.

"I'm still bandaging it up," Sam said, beginning to inspect it in midair.

"And you two wonder why people call you lovebirds," Tucker said.

"_We're not lovebirds!_"

"Just keep telling yourself that."

* * *

Hitsugaya's thumb pressed the trigger and a huge smoke cloud erupted along with a small _boom._

They waited for a few minutes until the smoke cloud cleared up and then gaped as nothing was there.

"Gee. That kid's fast," Ichigo said, scouring the nearby ruins to see if he could find Fantomu. "He must've turned invisible or something and taken his friends."

"Would you stop complimenting him and start helping us look for him?" Hitsugaya snapped.

"He's gone, Toushirou," Ichigo said blandly. "He can fly if he really wants to, believe me."

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou!" Hitsugaya retorted.

"How are we going to report this to the higher-ups?" Matsumoto asked. "They are going to be wondering why we couldn't catch the kid."

"Simple," Byakuya said. "We merely tell them the truth. What ghost were you fighting, Kurosaki?"

"Skulker," Ichigo said. "He called himself 'the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter' and claimed me to be his prey."

"That'd be the guy who wanted our heads as trophies, right?" Renji said.

"Yup."

"What kind of a spirit—even if it is a ghost—can fire missiles and have technology?" Renji wondered.

"We would've asked Fantomu, or Danny, those questions had he cooperated," Hitsugaya said. "As it is, we're going to have to report this as we saw it and go by what the mortal told us. Kurosaki," he addressed the orange-haired teen, "you'll be keeping an eye on them."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Those three—or four—won't even let me near them now."

"You'll find a way," Hitsugaya said.

"Thanks for the help," Ichigo said sarcastically.

"They'll be expecting us back now," Byakuya said. "We'll see you later, Kurosaki. Try not to get into any trouble."

"How can I do that when trouble keeps finding me?" Ichigo said.

"Just steer clear of it," Renji said for his taichou.

The doors into Soul Society opened before the shinigamis and they stepped into the white light, leaving Ichigo behind.

* * *

A red dot of light pulsed in the middle of the air, high above land. Suddenly, it spread outwards in a brilliant flash, revealing a knighted spirit suspended in midair.

The knight clanked around, moving his limbs slowly before opening his green eyes. He looked down to the land far below him and then upwards to see the blue sky dotted with clouds. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a small populated area a distance away from that had a huge eyesore in the middle of it. The eyesore was a white tower that insisted on reflecting the sunlight into the knight's eyes.

"Where on earth am I?" the Fright Knight muttered, inspecting his surroundings. He slowly descended to hover several hundred feet above the treetops. "And where is my Soul Shredder?"

He started to fly towards the buildings in the distance and turned invisible as he approached. The Fright Knight slowly flew over the various structures and, if he had any, would've had an eyebrow raised at the maze below him. Various black-clothed people were strolling around in it and a few of them were getting stuck at dead-ends to turn around and take a different route.

"Strange," the Fright Knight mused, landing on a roof in the maze and again inspecting his surroundings. "Never have I been in such a place. More to the point, what happened to my sword?"

He spread out his consciousness and started to feel for the ecto-signature that would signal that his Soul Shredder was nearby. He soon found it. It was nearby but not so close that he could find it easily.

"Whatever pathetic mortal dares to lay a hand on my sword will regret it," the Fright Knight intoned ominously. He, still invisible, took off in the direction of the faint ecto-signature and pondered what he should do to the unlucky person that lays a finger on his sword.

* * *

"Kurotsuchi-taichou!" a young shinigami shouted, running up to his taichou. He held a green blade in his hands. "Look what I found."

"Interesting," Kurotsuchi Mayuri, taichou of the twelfth division and taichou of the Shinigami Research and Development, commented. The yellow-eyed man took the blade from the shinigami's hands and inspected it. "I have never seen its like before. Where did you find this?"

"It was lying around," the shinigami replied breathlessly. "What do you think it is, taichou?"

"Why don't we find out?" Kurotsuchi grinned, revealing all his teeth. "Nemu!"

"Yes, sir?" Kurotsuchi Nemu, the fukutaichou of the twelfth division, stood at attention.

"Please take this into the lab for inspection," Kurotsuchi ordered.

"Yes, sir." Nemu took the sword from her taichou's hands and leapt off.

"I shall return to my duties, taichou," the shinigami who had delivered the sword said.

"Do so," Kurotsuchi said with an idle wave of his hand.

The taichou turned around with a sweep of his white haori and strolled nonchalantly down a corridor. He couldn't wait to get his hands on that green sword. It had radiated some strange energy and he wanted to find out what it was.

The taichou either didn't care about the invisible spirit flying behind him or he didn't notice.

* * *

"You still have to go to school, Danny," Sam said, leaning over her sleeping friend on the couch. "Did you hear me?"

"Mmm." Danny buried his face in the couch pillow.

"Oh for the love of—" Sam ripped the blanket off her friend and stuffed it around Danny's head.

"Hey!" Her friend jolted upright, phasing through the blanket. "I'm up!"

"You weren't before," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I was saying that you can't ignore school."

Danny groaned and straightened his black hair out with his hands before saying, "I know. I'm just not looking forward to be subjected to Ichigo's stares."

"How do you know he'll even stare at you?"

"How do you know he won't stare at _us_?" Tucker pointed out, putting some books in his backpack. "He has a perfectly good reason to stare at us since he saw us yesterday in that mess."

Danny flinched. "Don't remind me. I'm lucky I didn't get nightmares from that place."

Tucker shot him a sympathetic glance. "Sorry, Danny. You do know that it wasn't your fault, right?"

Danny lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "Why do you people always assume that I lay the blame on myself whenever something bad happens?"

"Because you do," Sam said frankly.

"I don't really do that!" Danny said defensively.

"Sure you do. Remember the incident with the ghost king? You totally blamed yourself what happened to Valerie."

"That's because it _was_ my fault!"

"She chose to get herself involved in it," Sam pointed out. "It's not like you had a say in whether or not she would help."

"But I could've _helped—_"

"Are we going to school or are you two going to keep arguing about this?" Tucker broke in, seeing the fight wasn't going anywhere. "We still need to figure out what we need to do about Ichigo."

"We'll take it from the go," Sam said, abandoning her argument with Danny. "For now, who's up for breakfast?" She held up a clump of bananas that were looking slightly black.

* * *

Ichigo was walking down a neighborhood to school with his two friends. One was Asano Keigo and the other Kojima Mizuiro. The latter were talking together while Ichigo was rather subdued, still thinking about what had transpired the previous day. It had been roughly evening by the time the shinigamis had left to report the incident to their superiors.

"So then the guy kicked the ball straight into the net and GOAL!" Keigo was saying, waving his arms in the air frantically. "What do you think, Ichigo? Ichigo?" He started waving his hand in front of the teen's face. "Hello?"

"Eh?" Ichigo blinked, coming back to himself. "Sorry. What'd you say?"

"I was talking about the recent soccer match. Are you okay?" Keigo asked.

"Sure." Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly. "There's nothing going on." '_Other than the fact that there's a ghost who's obsessed with pelts running around who might just have it in for me._'

"You do know that if you skip any more classes the teach is going to suspend you, right?" Keigo said.

"What makes you think I'm planning on skipping?" Ichigo asked indignantly. "I was _sick_ the last so many times I didn't come!"

"You agree with me, right, Mizuiro?" Keigo asked his other friend.

"He didn't say anything about skipping," Mizuiro responded.

The trio came across an empty milk carton which Ichigo kicked aside before walking on. Unfortunately, he never noticed the glowing blue cage that burst out of it and attached itself to his head.

"Hey!" Ichigo protested, dropping his school bag in favor of trying to get the glowing thing off of his head. "What the hell is this thing?"

A familiar materialized before the figures, grinning. "A cage that neutralizes ghost powers, orange child." He looked at the two friends and inspected them momentarily. Finally, he decided on something and said, "Boo."

The silence was too much for one of the friends.

"AAAAGH!" Keigo grabbed Mizuiro's arm and pelted away. "BYE, ICHIGOOO!"

"I see Fantomu wasn't kidding when he said I don't know you," Ichigo said, still trying to get the cage off. The badge on his pant suddenly flashed yellow and screamed,

"HOLLOW! HOLLOW!'

"Oh, _now_ you react." Ichigo glared at the badge from between the bars.

"I wasn't in range," Skulker said sleekly. "And who is Fantomu?"

Ichigo stopped glaring at the badge to look at the hunter. "You don't know him? His friend did say you give him loads of trouble."

"The only one I hunt after as obsessively as I do you is the ghost child and he hasn't been seen lately," Skulker mused, tapping his chin softly as an ecto-gun trained in on Ichigo's heart.

"Whatever." Ichigo banged his head against a pole and regretted it when the cage phased through it so that his head hit it. "Ow! Can we do this later? I'm going to be late."

"I am the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter," Skulker said, his ecto-gun beginning to flare green. "Prepare to rest as a pelt at the foot of my bed."

"I thought you said my orange hair clashes with your tiger pelt?"

"I don't hunt tigers."

"But you said—!" Ichigo didn't even finish his sentence.

"It was a jest. Surely you know what a jest is?" Skulker raised an eyebrow.

"I think you mean joke," Ichigo said, eyeing the flaring ecto-gun warily.

"Whatever," Skulker quoted, shrugging. "Now, prepare to—" A sudden beeping noise diverted his attention to his arm. "What the—? 'Go to library to check out book on purple-back gorillas'? I could've sworn I fixed that!"

Ichigo watched bemusedly as the hunter's jet wings fired up and lifted him away. "There's a purple-back gorilla?" When the hunter disappeared from sight, the cage vanished from his head. Ichigo rubbed his orange hair in relief. "At least he didn't get my pelt. I hope nothing else happens." He picked up his school bag and ran off.

* * *

Ichigo managed to make his math class by the skin of his teeth, skidding into his seat the moment the bell rang.

"Nice to see you could join us today, Kurosaki," the teacher said dryly. "What held you up?"

"I had an incident with a…milk carton," Ichigo said lamely.

He could've sworn he heard a snicker from Shikyo—no, _Danny_—as he said that_._

"A milk carton," the teacher repeated disbelievingly.

"A milk carton," Ichigo insisted firmly.

"Riiiight. Anyway…" The teacher held up a ruler threateningly. "Please hand out the assignments you should have finished yesterday."

Ichigo snuck a glance at the raven-haired boy who was sitting behind him. Danny's face was buried under his desk as he rummaged around his bag to find the papers he needed. When he came up though, Ichigo immediately averted his eyes and paid attention to the lesson.

* * *

"I had an incident with a…milk carton," Ichigo said.

Danny couldn't help but snicker. '_Looks like Skulker's already gotten to work._' He flashed back to the time when the ghost had sprung a trap from the milk carton during lunch. Luckily, Tucker's PDA had saved his skin.

He nearly missed Ichigo insisting that a milk carton had indeed delayed his arrival. When the teacher asked about the assignments, Danny groped around in his school bag for the papers and shifted back into his seat just as he saw Ichigo swivel his head back to the front.

'_Was he staring at me?_' Danny wondered suspiciously, staring at Ichigo's orange hair as the teacher took the papers from him.

"Is something wrong with Ichigo's hair, Manson?" the teacher asked suddenly.

Danny jumped and rubbed his neck nervously. "Ah. Uh, no, ma'am." '_Only that it's orange._'

"Good. Then please pay attention as I demonstrate the FOIL strategy." The teacher walked over to the blackboard and began to scribble mathematical equations down on it that made Danny want to clutch his head in frustration.

* * *

"I still can't believe you tried to make us eat those bananas," Tucker said, pretending to gag.

"They were perfectly fine!" Sam said indignantly.

"They were _black_, Yabun," Danny pointed out. "Black bananas are not good. I thought yellow bananas were supposed to be healthy."

"Black bananas mean that it's all soft and mushy," Sam said, banging her lunch box down on her desk. The three were eating lunch in the classroom that day in favor of not being subjected to Ichigo's stares. "Yellow bananas are slightly harder to chew."

"I don't _like_ mushy," Danny said, opening his own lunch box. "I prefer my bananas nice, yellow, and slightly hard."

"And _I_ don't eat fruits, vegetables, or any kind of plant in any form," Tucker added, helping himself to a large steak that he had somehow managed to stuff inside his box.

"What about the blood blossoms?" Sam snuck a sly glance towards Tucker's direction.

The boy promptly turned green at the memory. "That was a one-time thing."

"Can we save this fight for sometime else?" Danny pleaded. "We still have to find out how we're going to get home."

"How'd we get here in the first place?" Sam threw up her hands in despair and scattered some salad leaves around in the classroom.

Danny frowned, throwing his mind back. "I was fighting that ghost and…trapped it in the thermos. Didn't that red light hit us afterwards?"

"I _told_ you to catch it beforehand," Sam said.

"I _get_ it, Yabun." Danny repressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Anyway, I didn't manage to put a shield up in time and it hit us. After that, the next thing I remember is waking up in a crater here."

"So…" Tucker swallowed his mouthful. "…that means that red light played a hand in it."

"What are the odds that a flashy attack from a totally random ghost can transport us into another dimension where spirits are invisible to humans?" Sam asked, stirring her leaves around.

"In our life, Yabun, the odds are never too low," Danny said with a wry grin. "One thing that _does_ surprise me, though, is why school wasn't cancelled on account of what happened yesterday."

"Simple." Tucker put a hand to his chest dramatically. "The school survived."

"Shut it." Sam gave him a playful shove. "That _is_ a good reason, though."

"So why shove me?" Tucker raised an eyebrow. "Is it that my looks have finally—"

This time both of his friends shoved him over and he fell onto the floor.

"Seriously. Shut it," Sam said.

"So that means you haven't fallen for my manly charms?"

"_Yori._" Sam sighed, rubbing her temples. "If I haven't fallen for your 'womanly' charms previously I doubt I will now. You really need to work on them. And dump that PDA of yours," she added as an afterthought.

"It's my baby!" Tucker defended his PDA, hugging it close to his chest. "I can't abandon my baby!"

Danny didn't know whether to laugh or just stay silent. He opted for the latter and took another bite from his sandwich.

Several more minutes passed until, finally, growing tired of the bickering and the empty classroom, Danny got up and picked up his bag. He moved over to the door and watched his friends' reactions.

"Where are you going, Shikyo?" Sam asked.

"Out." Danny jabbed towards the hallway. "The atmosphere is too oppressing in here and, quite frankly, your bickering is getting on my nerves."

"But what about…" Tucker trailed off, purposely leaving his sentence hanging.

"We'll be fine," Danny reassured him. "We'll just stay low. Besides, we've got about half an hour left of lunch and I don't want to spend it in here when I could be outside."

"Point taken." Sam got up as well. "This feels like a cage. Have I ever told you—?"

"Yes, you have," both her friends interrupted.

* * *

"So their real names aren't Yori and Yabun but Sam and Tucker?" Uryuu repeated. "And there are two Dannys and one of them is a spirit called a ghost and he's visible to regular humans? Have I got everything?"

Ichigo nodded, leaning back against the wall. "Just about."

"That makes no sense whatsoever," Uryuu said.

Orihime was wrinkling her nose in confusion. "They summoned bad spirits called ghosts and were transferred here because of their role?"

"Yeah." Ichigo rubbed his nose. "Don't tell them you know, though. They probably wouldn't be very happy with me."

"Why would a spirit retain the traits of a human, Ichigo?" Chad asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "It's what Yabun told us. By the way, you should still call them by the names they were introduced with. I get a feeling that they don't want their cover blown."

Uryuu snorted. "I'd say it was already blown from the way that ghost leveled several blocks in broad daylight."

"He said it was the other ghost's fault," Ichigo recalled. "He wasn't very happy with the loss of lives, though."

"I wouldn't have been either," Orihime said in her soft voice. "He seems like a gentle spirit, Kurosaki-kun."

"Ghost," Ichigo corrected. "He calls himself a ghost."

"Is there a difference?" Chad inquired.

"There are other ghosts, too," Ichigo said. "Take one of them, for instance. He calls himself a hunter."

"Who is he?" Uryuu prompted.

"Skulker," Ichigo responded. "And now, thanks to him, I don't even trust a simple carton." He eyed the juice box next to Orihime warily. "I really was delayed by a milk carton."

"What did it do? Stand up and talk?" Uryuu couldn't repress a smile.

"No. It shot a cage at me that stopped me from going into shinigami form. To add insult to injury the guy only left after he read 'go check out book about purple-back gorilla' or something like that."

"There's a purple-back gorilla?" Uryuu repeated disbelievingly. "You learn something new every day."

Ichigo nodded. "My reaction exactly." He was about to reach for his juice box—rather warily, I might add—when it glowed green and shot a green goo that covered his mouth.

"That's new," Uryuu commented.

Ichigo glared at him.

"What is that?" Orihime asked curiously. She was about to touch the green substance when something blasted a hole next to her. "Eep!"

"More friends, orange child?" A mechanical spirit appeared in thin air, a gun on his arm blazing. "It's a pity that badge sense of yours is so feeble. Now, prepare to rest as a pelt at my bed."

"That is _so_ unethical," Uryuu said. "Who might you be?"

"Skulker, Ghost Zone's greatest hunter," Skulker said proudly. "I am hunting the orange child on account of the fact that he is a rare and valuable prize called a 'shini'."

"What's a 'shini'?" Orihime asked.

"I think he means shinigami," Chad explained.

"Yes, shinigami." Skulker nodded, grinning. His green mohawk flickered. "A half-ghost to be exact."

"Kurosaki isn't a half-ghost," Uryuu said. "He's just a regular shinigami."

"Then how does he have a body?"

"Because that's how he is," Uryuu said patiently.

"Only half-ghosts have a ghost form and a human form," Skulker said. "The orange child matches that description perfectly."

"Orange child?" Uryuu goggled at him. Ichigo kicked Uryuu's shins and got up, green gag still covering his mouth. "Ow!" Uryuu rubbed his bruised shins.

"Now, orange child, prepare to be skinned and—" Beeping distracted the hunter's attention again. " 'Go to exhibit to study habits of purple-backed gorilla'? I thought I fixed that!" Wings appeared and the hunter took off, albeit unwillingly.

The gag disappeared from Ichigo's mouth along with the hunter. He moved his lips experimentally, saying, "See? That guy has it in for me." Ichigo suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of ghosts, I have to go keep an eye on the three. Keep an eye on my body." Ichigo pressed his badge against his chest and stepped out in shinigami form.

"What about Shikyo?" Chad asked, supporting Ichigo's body. "He can see you."

"I'll hide," Ichigo said confidently. "See ya!" He disappeared.

"What's a purple-backed gorilla?" Orihime asked once he had gone.

* * *

"Guys." Danny stopped in the hallway, looking around fervently. "I think I feel something."

"Feel what?" Sam stopped, too. "A ghost?"

"Well, they're spirits here, from what I've heard," Danny said. "But that's not what I'm sensing. It's…just _something_, though. It's like…there's something off."

"Off?" Tucker raised an eyebrow. "What's off? My beret?"

"No. It's still on your head. Something else, though." Danny shook his head and then said, "Never mind. It's probably nothing. Let's just go."

"If you say so, Shikyo," Sam said. "I wouldn't just brush off your instincts if I were you, though."

"It's probably nothing." Danny shrugged. "I was feeling a little cold but it's gone. It felt a bit like my ghost sense but nothing was coming out." He waved a hand towards his mouth.

The three walked by a hallway, passing by a shinigami on a mission.

Kurosaki Ichigo let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. '_What is he, psychic? I know he can see spirits but sense them? Even I can't do that._'

Ichigo poked a head around the corner and followed the three silently. He was ready to hide at a moment's notice, even though there was nothing to hide behind. Nonetheless, he could always jump out a window if worse came to worse.

Danny shivered inconspicuously again. He looked around without moving his head but couldn't see anything. Realizing that whatever was setting his internal alarms might be hiding, he took a breath and readied himself to run.

"Something wrong, Shikyo?" Sam asked.

"A little more quiet, Yabun," Danny whispered. "I think something's following us."

"Huh?" Tucker would've looked around if Danny hadn't clapped an arm around his shoulders, stopping him from doing so.

"We'll make a break for it on three, 'kay?" Danny whispered, nodding towards the almost empty hallway. "I'll turn us invisible as soon as we get into a classroom."

"No one will notice?" Sam moved a little closer to Danny. "It'll seem odd if we just…vanish."

"Trust me," Danny said quietly. He darted a small look over his shoulder and saw Ichigo in shinigami form in plain daylight behind him. "Ichigo's behind us. No, don't look," he added as Sam made to turn. "He's in shinigami form. He's probably supposed to trail us or something 'cause of those other people."

"When?" Tucker asked in a low voice, making as if to check something up on his PDA while he snuck a look behind him. Of course, he couldn't see anything.

"Now." Then, in a loud voice, "Oh look! I think I see, uhhh…Isamu!"

Danny grabbed his friends' arms and pelted down the hallway, hearing the footsteps of Ichigo, too.

'_He didn't see me, did he?_' Ichigo asked himself mentally as he paced himself accordingly. '_They were whispering. I have to pay more attention._'

Ichigo skidded across the ground when the three friends suddenly made a left turn into a classroom. He followed before they could close the door but stopped abruptly when he saw the empty classroom.

"What the—?" Ichigo said softly as he ran towards the window to look out. He was on the second floor and there was no way one could simply jump down without breaking a leg. "Where'd they go?"

Danny stood behind the teacher's desk, keeping them all invisible while Ichigo inspected the classroom. He flashed them intangible when the orange-haired teenager inspected the desk to be sure they weren't hiding behind it and breathed a small sigh of relief when the shinigami left the classroom.

He held the invisibility for a few more moments before letting it fade.

"You're sure there was something there, right?" Tucker asked, checking to be sure he really was visible.

"Yes," Danny said. "I wasn't dreaming when I saw him."

"We'll have to be more careful from now on," Sam said firmly, peering through the window on the door. "Come on, Danny." She stopped, realizing her friend wasn't following her. "Danny?"

Danny was feeling cold. He could visibly see his breath and was shivering violently. Then, as abruptly as it had started, it stopped. He heaved a sigh of relief as warmth seeped back into his body.

"Ghost," he said. "Either that, or a spirit. My ghost sense has never been so strong."

"Go." Sam glanced at the clock. "You've got about fifteen minutes. Take care of it and come back quickly."

Danny ducked under the teacher's desk and transformed. He phased through the desk and floated by Tucker.

"I've got the thermos," he said. "Try to be safe, all right?"

"You're the one who has to be careful," Sam said.

"Lovebirds," Tucker said carelessly. He covered his mouth, realizing what he had just said. "Uh, you didn't hear that, right?"

Sam shot him a glare. Danny was eyeing Tucker in a way the African-American did not like at all.

"Hey, Danny? You don't mind if I hunt him down and string him up by his underwear on the flagpole?" Sam asked sweetly.

Danny smirked. "Be my guest." He flew out of the building and hovered before the window. "Don't hurt him too much." He was cut off from saying more by another gust of blue breath. He shivered and said, "I've really got to go."

Sam shot him a smile and then proceeded to chase her other friend out of the classroom.

Danny gazed wistfully after them before his ghost sense again jolted him into reality. He sighed, turned around, and took off. He flew for about a few minutes before stopping and looking around, unable to see anything.

"False alarm?" Danny looked up at the sky. "My ghost sense is usually never wrong." Another stream of shivers wracked his body and his breath was easily visible again. "What's going on?"

* * *

Ichigo stepped out of the classroom and turned right, frowning slightly.

'_No way. I know I saw them turn into that classroom. I looked everywhere and I couldn't even find them. What were they? Invisible?_' Ichigo stopped at that and gave a small laugh. "I did not just think that they turned invisible. I mean, they're _humans._ Even if Danny can see spirits it doesn't give him the ability to turn invisible."

He was broken from further musings by a loud, "HOLLOW!"

"Argh! Now?" Ichigo whirled towards the nearest window, thrust it open, and stepped out onto the air. "Just my luck!"

He shunpoed out to the middle of the town before stopping and looking around. He glanced down at his badge, which was still blinking yellow and showing him that there should be a hollow where he was. Only catch was, there was no hollow.

"I don't see any hollow," Ichigo said, confused. "Is this thing defective?" He rattled it. "It's going off around spirits that aren't even hollows!"

Ichigo was about to go back to school when a deafening loud roar filled his ears. He could feel the air around him literally being ripped apart and he froze in midair, not being able to comprehend what was happening.

"Oh shit," Ichigo said softly, turning around to face what he knew would be there.


	8. The Fright Knight's Appearance

**Thanks to _SpartanCommander, Bored2Deth, Nova Bucker, Cross177, Piece of Toast, NarutoPhantom, Hordak's Pupil,_ and _FantomoDrako_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Fright Knight's Appearance**

* * *

**Several hours (or whatever) earlier… **

"Hitsugaya Toushirou reporting for duty," the white-haired taichou said, appearing in the room.

"Matsumoto Rangiku reporting," his fukutaichou said, appearing next to her (way) shorter taichou.

"Abarai Renji."

"Kuchiki Byakuya."

"That didn't take you very long," Zaraki Kenpachi, taichou of the eleventh division, commented.

"What have you found out?" Unohana Retsu asked in her soft voice. She was taichou of the fourth division.

"There have been several appearances of spirits who call themselves 'ghosts' in the mortal realm," Hitsugaya said. "It was these battles that were giving off the large reading of spiritual energy."

"You say 'battles,' " Soifon, taichou of the second division, broke in. "Were there any?"

"Two that we know of," Matsumoto said. "One was with Kurosaki Ichigo and a ghost called…"

"Skulker," Renji prompted.

"Skulker," Matsumoto repeated. "The other was between a ghost named Fantomu and another one who looked like a skeleton enflamed in green fire."

"What is the difference between these ghosts and us?" Kurotsuchi inquired. "I see no reason for the change in naming."

"These ghosts are visible to mortals," Byakuya said. "According to Fantomu, their basic powers include intangibility, invisibility, flying, and ghost rays. There are others but he says not all ghosts can perform them."

"Intangibility?" Kenpachi raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"Phasing through things, Zaraki-taichou," Renji explained. "They can go through solid objects."

"That's not fair," the taichou complained. "That means I can't cut 'em up!"

"It appears that it's voluntary," Hitsugaya said. "Fantomu, when we encountered him, had several wounds from the ghost he was fighting."

"There are also humans who know of our existence," Renji spoke up.

"And you didn't erase their memories?" Soifon said, glaring at the fukutaichou. Renji averted his eyes.

"We tried," Hitsugaya said. "Fantomu escaped with them before we could do so."

"Who were these humans?" Yamamoto finally spoke.

"Yori and Yabun or Sam and Tucker," Byakuya said. "Their story is an interesting one."

"I thought it was Sammy and Tooker," Renji said, frowning.

"No it was Sammins and Tacker," Matsumoto argued.

Renji was about to retort when Hitsugaya growled, "Enough!"

"Relate this story to us," Yamamoto said, opening his eyes.

Hitsugaya then related Sam's story to the remaining taichous with some help from the fukutaichous and Byakuya. When he was finished, the people in the room digested the information.

"Trouble news indeed," Yamamoto decided finally. "If what these people say is true, it means that we will have to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Matsumoto asked.

"These spirits aren't coming here by chance," Soifon said. "From what your observations tell us, these spirits are dangerous beings."

"I'd love to get my hands on one of those beings," Kurotsuchi said, grinning. "The anatomy of them must be fascinating."

"We should be concentrating on hacking them up," Kenpachi declared, grinning his trademark grin.

"They can turn intangible," Renji pointed out. "Besides, that Skulker dude Ichigo was fighting said that ghosts can't die. You wouldn't get any pleasure from it."

"That's impossible," Soifon said. "All spirits die sooner or later."

"Yes but they're _ghosts_ not _spirits_," Matsumoto said. "Fantomu said there was a difference."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Ukitake Juushirou, taichou of the thirteenth division, asked.

"I believe Fantomu said that there may not be a difference but there might be one," Hitsugaya replied. "It would require further studying. What are your orders, soutaichou?"

"These 'ghosts'," Yamamoto rolled his tongue around the word, "have enormous power. It would not do any good to have them running around in the human realm."

"I'll say!" Soifon exclaimed. "This Fantomu you spoke of level several blocks and killed hundreds of people!"

"He said it was the other ghost's fault," Matsumoto recalled.

"Enough." Yamamoto tapped his cane on the floor. "I feel that we must wait this out to see if they truly pose a threat to us. For now, we watch and wait."

"Understood," Hitsugaya said as the other shinigamis behind him nodded. Byakuya stood impassively.

* * *

**Present time…**

"Have you put the zanpakutou in the examination room?" Kurotsuchi asked the shinigami in his office.

"Yes, sir," the shinigami responded. "But, sir…I have doubts that it is a zanpakutou as the energy it gives off is different from others."

"I know." Kurotsuchi waved his hand dismissively. "That is precisely why I'm examining it."

"Yes, sir!" The shinigami stood at the ready.

Kurotsuchi got up and strolled to the examination room where he had placed the glowing zanpakutou. Oh, he was going to have fun examining it.

* * *

"These creatures are strange," the Fright Knight said, observing a black-clothed person fighting another with a wooden stick. "Who fights one another with wooden sticks?" He watched another group attack targets with flashy red ecto-beams. "And what kind of creature—aside from Plasmius—has red ectoplasmic blasts?" The Fright turned around and took off in the direction of his sword's ecto-signature. "This merits more of an investigation but first, I must claim my sword."

When he deemed that he could go no further by air, the Fright Knight landed and, still invisible, entered a building and began to navigate the hallways, phasing through the walls when necessary. He passed by several rooms that had strange objects in them and creatures that didn't seem to be human but he paid them no mind.

He finally emerged in a room with a door on the far end and turned visible when he couldn't see anybody in the room. He caught sight of an array of weapons on one wall and reached for a spear that seemed most like his sword.

He was just about to turn to the door when a voice interrupted him.

"Hey, you!" The Fright Knight turned to see a blackly-clothed dark-haired youth with a sword glaring at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Where is my sword?" the Fright Knight asked.

"On second thought, _what_ are you?" the youth rephrased his question, staring at his armor and fiery purple cape.

"The Fright Knight," the Fright Knight intoned in a solemn voice, holding his spear at the ready. "I repeat, where is my sword?"

"None of your business, intruder!" the youth snapped back. "I'm the one asking the questions here! How'd you get past the guard? You're no shinigami!"

"Shinigami," the Fright Knight rolled the strange word around in his mouth. "What is a…shinigami?"

"Eh?" The youth—shinigami—stared at him. "You don't know?" He suddenly scowled. "Stop jesting! What—"

"Answer my question, you impertinent youth, or perish!" the Fright Knight rumbled, taking a step closer to the shinigami, who didn't move.

"Fine, then," the shinigami said. "Shinigamis are Death Gods. We help spirits cross over to Soul Society. My turn. What are you?"

"I am the Fright Knight, master of Halloween," the Fright Knight said.

The shinigami burst out into raucous laughter. When he stopped he managed to choke out, "Master of Halloween? Now I've heard it all!" He burst into laughter again.

"I jest not," the Fright Knight said. "Answer me. Where is my sword?"

The shinigami promptly stopped laughing and held his sword at the ready. "I do not know of this sword you speak of but I must arrest you for trespassing here. You can either come quietly or fight."

The Fright Knight jumped towards the shinigami, swinging his spear around expertly. Even if he did wield it a bit like a sword.

"A fight it is then," the shinigami said, countering with his own sword.

* * *

"What kind of readings have you managed to get on this item?" Kurotsuchi asked the strange three-eyed creature at the computer. The glowing zanpakutou lay on a table behind the creature.

"I have managed to run several tests on this zanpakutou," the creature responded.

"Elaborate," Kurotsuchi said.

"For one, this zanpakutou is like none other in Soul Society," Three-Eyed began. "The energy it gives off is entirely foreign."

"What are the spiritual readings on this item?" Kurotsuchi inquired, studying the charts of data outlined before him.

"It is made of an incredibly dense reiryoku," Three-Eyed explained. "No other zanpakutou is like it. If it weren't impossible, I should say that it would be visible to normal humans."

"What is the difference between the spiritual readings of a normal zanpakutou and this one?" Kurotsuchi interrogated Three-Eyed. "Surely it can't be that different. It _is_ here in Soul Society after all."

"A normal zanpakutou like your own has spiritual readings that aren't half as dense as this one," Three-Eyed said. "As you know, ectoplasm makes up our own bodies and our zanpakutous. The same goes for this one." He gestured to the zanpakutou that lay on the table. "Normally, however, our zanpakutous' ectoplasm is touched by reiryoku, which gives us our power. This large amount of reiryoku is also what makes us invisible to all humans except for those that are especially spiritually sensitive. This zanpakutou, however, has ectoplasm that has close to no reiryoku in it whatsoever. Therefore, there is nothing to diffuse the ectoplasm and make it invisible to average mortals."

"So this zanpakutou has no power?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"That's the strange thing about it," Three-Eyed said. He flipped open a page on his clipboard and showed it to the taichou. "This zanpakutou is infused with power far beyond what I have seen. It's not normal. It doesn't have the normal reiryokus of a regular zanpakutou and it still holds power? Something's strange."

"Indeed," Kurotsuchi murmured, picking up the zanpakutou by the hilt. He inspected its make closely.

"I have also never seen a zanpakutou made like that, either," Three-Eyed said. "It is entirely different from the normal zanpakutou structure."

Before Kurotsuchi could comment on that, a loud ruckus from outside drew both beings' attention.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing?" A shinigami leaned on his broom in the middle of a hallway. He was sweeping the floor besides a door.

"Sweeping the floor, what does it look like to you?" the other shinigami responded, stirring up a dust cloud as he swept furiously. "You should, too."

"Ah." The shinigami began to brush back and forth idly, looking extremely bored. "It's so dull around here, isn't it?"

"Mmm," the other shinigami grunted, now moving over to a tapestry and beginning to bat his broom against it. "Don't know about that. Seems like something's always going on lately."

"Oh come on!" Shinigami #1 complained. "Nothing's ever going on! It's as boring as hell down here!"

Before Shinigami #2 could answer, the tapestry he had been dusting suddenly fell on top of him, revealing a fiery knight with green flames spurting from his helmet and a fiery purple cape wielding a spear. He was fighting another shinigami with a zanpakutou who seemed to be mainly on the defensive.

Both fighters jumped out from the rubble of the wall and leapt over the dumbfounded shinigami. His broom lay forgotten as he watched the shinigami and the knight counter blow for blow. In another few minutes, the knight had knocked the shinigami straight through another wall and followed the fallen shinigami in another second.

Still dumbfounded, Shinigami #1 turned towards the rubble and watched as Shinigami #2 managed to dig himself out.

" 'Boring as hell down here', huh?" Shinigami #2 repeated, dust and rubble covering his face and hair. "Oh yeah. It's totally boring here."

* * *

"My sword!" the Fright Knight thundered as he hacked off some more of the shinigami's strange black garb.

"I already told you, baka!" the shinigami shouted, pushing aside the spear with his zanpakutou as it the point of it rushed towards his face. "I don't have it!"

"I can see that!" The Fright Knight let the zanpakutou phase through his waist. "_Where is it?_"

"What?" The shinigami stared at his blade as if he couldn't believe that it had just passed through the knight's waist without drawing blood. "How did—" He was pushed backwards through another wall as the Fright Knight gave him a solid punch to the chest.

"It's called intangibility," the Fright Knight said. "And don't take your eyes off your opponent."

"I can see my normal zanpakutou attacks won't do anything to you," the shinigami said, managing to stand up. He sheathed his sword. "In that case, I will have to resort to something different."

"Like what?" The Fright Knight watched as the shinigami spread his feet out. "You cannot attack with your bare hands."

The shinigami seemed to be concentrating and was saying something out loud. It seemed to be an incantation of sorts and was extremely long-winded. The Fright Knight didn't know whether to attack or just creep away while the shinigami was occupied with whatever he was doing.

Before the Fright Knight could make up his mind, the shinigami finished it all off by saying, "Bakudou 9, Geki!"

A red light formed around the Fright Knight. His whole body glowed once before he started to cringe from the effects of the strange spell the shinigami had used.

"A binding spell like that won't be easy to break from!" the shinigami said, lowering his arms.

Green energy started to leak out around the Fright Knight, slowly eating away at the red light the shinigami had cast. With a loud cry, the red light dissipated entirely as the green energy from the ghost burst outwards.

"You dare to use such a feeble spell on me, the master of Halloween?" the Fright Knight thundered. "Allow me to demonstrate a true spell of the likes you have never seen!"

"H-h-how d-did…" the shinigami stammered. He couldn't find his voice.

The Fright Knight put his hands together but with some distance still between them. He then began to chant something in a language the shinigami couldn't even comprehend. Green ecto-energies began to leak out of the Fright Knight's hands and spread out over his arms. As the strange chanting went on, the Fright Knight slowly began to move his hands outwards and held them parallel to his shoulders, the green ecto-energies dripping on the floor.

The shinigami watched, fascinated and filled with dread, as the floor began to glow a strange green, which soon spread to cover the whole hallway the two were standing in.

Then the Fright Knight brought up his arms and said dramatically in his normal language, "Come, my knights! Serve me once more and bring havoc to this land!"

In a ghastly manner, figures began to form in the ground. The shinigami stepped back in horror as a half-formed helmet emerged from the ground. More came and soon skeleton-like hands pushed outwards from the green floor and revealed more knights. Some of them were missing entire limbs and others were even missing their heads. A few had swords and shields while others had maces and spears. One thing that was terrifyingly obvious, however, was that they were all enveloped in a glowing green light that gave them an eerie look which made the shinigami freeze in his sandals.

"Now you have seen a true spell," the Fright Knight said, surrounded by his army of knights. He threw out his hand. "Go, my knights! Find my sword and wreak havoc upon here!"

The shinigami instantly drew his sword and tried to block the way of the knights. Unfortunately, most of them weren't even interested in going the way he was blocking. Instead, they phased through the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. Others went behind the Fright Knight to explore the length of the hallway behind the ghost and only a few approached the trembling shinigami.

"G-get away!" The shinigami attempted to thrust his sword through a knight's abdomen but instead of cutting the ghost down, it only went through. The result knocked him off balance and sent him stumbling forwards through the knight. "W-what?"

"My knights are impervious to attacks if they wish it," the Fright Knight said in an ominous tone. "Now my sword will be retrieved. Care to elaborate upon where it is?"

The shinigami gulped and tried to figure a way out of his situation. The only thing he could think of was that he was doomed.

* * *

Danny's ghost sense went off once again extremely violently. He shivered in the warm air and tried to find the source of what was making it go off.

"What's going on?" He rubbed his arms, trying to get himself warm again. "W-why—" He was cut off by a billowing wind that threatened to knock him out of the air. A roaring noise filled his ears, causing him to cover them in reflex. He felt like the very space around him was distorting and warping to create a hole in the air.

Danny opened his eyes to a sight that made his jaw drop straight open. Before him, an enormous hole was splitting the very sky itself, revealing a black background with nothing in it. Then something emerged which chilled him to his very bone. Danny stumbled backwards in the air, unable to register what he was seeing.

It was an enormous bony face with a huge nose. Its teeth were bared in a primal grin and it was covered entirely in black. What he could also see of its huge body was enormous bony white spikes that spread out in a circle around its body.

'_No,_' Danny realized with growing horror. '_It's not just one of those things; it's a huge army!_'

Indeed, in the growing rip of the air, he could see other figures of the exact same monster slowly appearing. They all peered out through the crack, sending chills running down his spine.

'_No way._' "No way," Danny said aloud. "How-how am I supposed to deal with them? They're—they're huge!"

A loud roar suddenly filled the air, thrusting him backwards through the air. He did several back flips while careering out of control before he was able to stop his erratic flying. He looked up once more to see them all opening their mouths. That was what was causing the horrible roaring. It was so similar to his Ghostly wail but yet not similar. He couldn't see any damage being caused by it other than what was happening to his eardrums.

The rip in the sky suddenly grew wider, allowing the huge monsters to step out into the town. Danny watched in horror, completely petrified, as one of them stepped right before him, showing him exactly how tall it was. It was as tall as a skyscraper—no…it seemed to be even taller than a skyscraper. It gazed down at him out of its beady eyes and Danny finally managed to find the will to move.

The wind caused by the growing rip in the air ripped through his snowy white hair and buffeted the thermos strapped to his back. He hovered before the huge monster and tried to think of a strategy that would help him out.

'_Attacking?_' Danny gulped and looked at the dozen other monsters behind the one already before him. '_How am I going to be able to dredge up enough energy to defeat all of them? Sneak attacks won't work with the sheer number and they already know I'm here._' He shifted the thermos on his back. '_Will the thermos hold? I've never caught a ghost as big as them before!_' He then realized something that made his eyes widen even more. '_No. Not a ghost. A hollow. But what kind of a hollow? I may not have seen many but none of them have been as big as the ones standing before me now._'

He took a deep shuddering breath and flashed to invisibility. In the shock of seeing the huge rip in the sky, he had dropped it. Luckily, no one had noticed a white-haired boy floating in midair staring at absolutely nothing in total fear. Danny flew around the huge monster, or hollow, and shot an ecto-blast at its shoulder. If it even had one.

It exploded in a small cloud but didn't even seem to faze the huge thing_. _Instead, it merely opened its huge mouth. A small ball of red electricity started to form in it. It grew in size and began to crackle with power.

"It didn't work?" Danny cried, watching the monster still power up its attack. "And what am I supposed to do with that thing?" He looked down at the town below him. "If that thing attacks, the whole town's going to blow up!"

* * *

Ichigo turned around slowly to face what he knew would be there. Even though he had expected it, he still couldn't believe his eyes as the very sky itself formed a huge tear that slowly spread downwards, revealing a Menos Grande poking its huge nose out of it. Behind it, Ichigo could see others moving and the pure sight of it sent chills running down his spine, even though he knew he could handle most of them.

"_Gillians_?" Ichigo gritted his teeth and swung Zangetsu out of its cloth and held it at the ready. "And dozens of them, too! What is Soul Society _doing?_!"

The deafening loud roars from the Gillians before him filled his eardrums and vibrated the very air itself. Slowly, the rip in the sky widened to allow the first of the Menos Grande to step out. It stepped before the shinigami, staring down at the orange-haired teenager.

"I can't expect any help here!" Ichigo said, his eyes glowing blue from his reiatsu. "I guess I'll just have to take care of them myself." He brought his sword up and the tip of it began to crackle with blue energy. He swung it down in one fluid sweep crying out, "_Getsuga tenshou!_" A blue wave of energy swept out from the sword and struck the Gillian, ripping it in half as it traveled through it. The hollow immediately disintegrated into black particles, purified.

That wasn't the end of Ichigo's attack, though. It immediately traveled straight into the rip and purified several more Gillians before disappearing.

It was then that Ichigo noticed a small black and white figure at the far end. Another Gillian was facing the figure down and from what Ichigo could feel (and hear) it seemed to be charging up a cero. He watched in horror as the attack was unleashed upon the outlying town, its red light covering every other building in sight.

He covered his eyes in reflex as the attack hit. Ichigo expected to hear the crashing of buildings as the cero made its mark but couldn't hear anything but the roar of the cero. He lifted up his arm to drop it, openmouthed.

The town was being protected by a huge green dome that flickered and barely withstood the ferocious attack. When it finally died down, Ichigo saw the black and white figure draw the green energy back into itself and knew that it could be only one person.

"Fantomu."

* * *

Danny's eyes widened as he saw the huge hollow release its attack. He made a split second decision and put out his hands, calling forth all the energy he had to form a huge shield that would protect the town from the attack.

When it struck, it took all of Danny's willpower to not drop it then and there. He closed his eyes in effort and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried to hold up to the raw energy that was attacking the town under him.

It seemed like forever and a day when the onslaught finally stopped and he was able to drop the shield. Instead of just cutting off the energy, he drew it back into himself to try and spare some strength. In the back of his mind, an inkling of what could also have happened if he had just cut it off without drawing it in crossed it. If he had just released the energy needed to create the shield, it would most likely have caused a backlash of energy that could've destroyed the nearest objects around him. Namely, the buildings standing below him and the huge hollows before him. The hollows wouldn't have been a loss; it would've been the loss of lives that would've hit him the worst.

'_I've gotta be more careful_.' Danny rubbed his hands and winced at the thought of what could've happened had he not erected the shield. A huge shadow looming above snapped him out of his doom and gloom thoughts. '_And…I've got to pay more attention to my surroundings._' Danny craned his neck to look up at the huge being that towered over him. "Oh crud."

* * *

"Answer. Where is my sword?" the Fright Knight demanded.

"I-I don't know," the shinigami stammered. He was at a loss for what to do.

"You lie," the Fright Knight said. "I can sense the ecto-signature of my Soul Shredder distinctly here. Where is it?"

"Soul Shredder?" The shinigami jumped. "What are you doing with a dangerous zanpakutou like that?"

"It is not a zanpaktie," the Fright Knight said. "It is a sword."

"Are you a hollow?" the shinigami cried.

"Nor do I know what a hollow is," the Fright Knight said. "Do I look hollow to you?"

The shinigami would've smacked his forehead if it had been ethical in his current situation. "Uh, never mind. Why do you want a sword?"

"It is my sword, you impertinent wretch," the Fright Knight said, taking a step closer to the shinigami. "Where is it?"

"A sword. Uh…" The shinigami seemed to be in thought for a moment. He then brightened up and said, "Do you take wooden replicas?"

"Do I look like a child to you?" the Fright Knight asked, malice dripping from his every word. "It seems I have no choice but to eliminate you." He put his hand out over a section of the ground a knight emerged from it. "Go, my knight! Eliminate this nuisance!"

"Eep!" the shinigami yelped, taking a step backward. "Er, can't we talk this out?"

The knight the Fright Knight had summoned took steps closer to the trembling shinigami.

"Talk this out?" the Fright Knight repeated. "I think not." He turned around to leave the shinigami to the knight. "I think it is time that I leave you in search of my Soul Shredder."

"Fine!" The shinigami drew his zanpakutou. It gleamed in the green light of the hallway and the knight. "I'll beat this dead thing, see if I don't!"

"Oh I will," the Fright Knight said, not even turning around. "The day a pathetic swordsman like you beats a knight of mine will be the day the stars fall from the heavens."

"Then let that day come sooner than you think!" the shinigami declared, leaping towards the knight that was drawing its mace. The two immediately engaged in a full out anime (cartoon?)-style brawl.

"Foolish mortal," the Fright Knight scoffed, not even turning around as the scuffle behind him continued.

"STOP!" The Fright Knight froze as an explosion of air pressure erupted in the hallway.

* * *

The huge hollow towered over the small half-ghost. Its mouth was opened once again to reveal a crackling ball of red energy.

"Oh darn it." Danny swore softly under his breath before looking around frantically. "What do I do now? Another shield?" He looked up to see the ball of light almost to its full capacity. "No time!" Danny took off at his full speed and sped up to the engage the hollow before it could release its gigantic attack.

Before he could even begin to figure out what he would do to eradicate the attack before it could be released someone else took the matter straight out of his hands.

"_Getsuga tenshou!_"

Danny had to abruptly stop his flight and veer backwards to avoid the huge slice of blue energy that sliced through the hollow, causing it to disintegrate into hundreds of tiny particles.

"What the—?" Danny looked through the vanishing particles of the hollow to see a figure behind it. "Ichigo?"

"Fantomu!" the shinigami called out, vanishing from behind the vanishing hollow to appear besides Danny, who almost fell out of the air in shock. "Are you okay?"

"Fine!" Danny said, calming down his debatable heart. He was seriously wondering if he should get a check up in his ghost form to solve the mystery of whether or not he had one. "How'd you do that?"

"Oh that?" Ichigo rested his sword on his shoulder. "It's my zanpakutou's special attack: _Getsuga tenshou_. Pretty effective against large hollows like that Menos Grande."

"Menos Grande?" Danny managed to get the name right. "It's not a hollow?"

"It is one," Ichigo said. "It's just a different type. There are several types of hollows. The normal ones are the ones that made us meet. This is a Gillian hollow, or Menos Grande." He frowned, studying the growing rip. More Menos Grande were clamoring to come out. "Not many of them actually attack here, though. Something's going on."

"When did you figure that out?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "When the rip in the sky first came or when I appeared?"

Ichigo gave the ghost boy a sheepish look. "Just now. Guess it should've been more obvious with your appearance and then that hunter guy's."

"Don't forget the Box Ghost," Danny reminded him, shooting off an ectoplasmic blast into the rip to knock back an approaching Menos Grande. "Any plans on how to take care of this thing?"

"Things," Ichigo corrected. "I really don't know much about how to close these rips between this world and the hollows' world but I do know how to take care of these things. You have to hit them in the mask. For right now, we've just got to keep them out of the town until Soul Society sends backup."

"They're going to send backup?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Is it going to be the short little annoying kid with an attitude and his, uh—to put it mildly—his rather 'robust' fuky?" Danny used the infamous quotation marks. "And the weird tattooed guy?"

"Er, maybe." Ichigo had to repress a snicker at the half-ghost's description of the shinigamis. "Matsumoto is robust?"

"Well, yeah! Putting it mildly that is," Danny muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"This is so wrong but I actually agree with you," Ichigo said. "Anyway, I don't know who Soul Society is going to send but hopefully they're going to send someone. I'm only a substitute shinigami for crying out loud."

"I'm not gonna ask." Danny's hands glowed green and he released a barrage of green balls into the rip. He took off, leaving Ichigo in his dust. "Little help?"

"Sure!" Ichigo jumped up and whipped out Zangetsu. "_Getsuga tenshou!_"

With Danny's ecto-balls and Ichigo's _getsuga tenshou_ they managed to push back several of the Gillians. Ichigo then watched bemusedly as Danny clutched the thermos on his back to let out a whirling beam of blue energy. The light struck a Menos Grande that Danny had nailed with a ghost ray and sucked it into the thermos.

Danny rattled it, saying, "I hope it holds. I've never caught something this big before."

"What is that?" Ichigo fired off another _getsuga tenshou._ "A soup thermos?"

"No." Danny fired off another ectoplasmic ray and sucked in the hollow before it could react. "It's a thermos modified to catch ghosts. It also works on these hollows."

"And what happens if it releases them?" Ichigo asked, purifying several Gillians in one attack.

"Frankly, I'm not sure," Danny said. "With the ghosts I caught in my own world, I simply released them back in their zone. These hollows are going to be a pain in the butt if I do release them." He hitched the thermos back onto his back.

"Come on, Fantomu!" Ichigo abandoned his pose in midair and took a different spot closer to the rip in the air. "We've got eradicate this stream of hollows!"

"I'm all open to suggestions!" Danny called back, flying up to form a large ball of green energy. He released it by throwing it straight into the hollows' midst. It exploded in midair, sending them all flying back deeper into their realm. "That works."

"Can you do another of those?" Ichigo asked, his eyes glowing blue.

"Maybe." Danny formed another large ball with some effort. His energy was rapidly running out with all the attacks he had been doing. The big shield earlier hadn't helped either. "What's your plan?" He held the crackling ball of ectoplasmic energy in between his gloved hands and lifted it up over his head.

"Release it when I tell you to!" Ichigo ordered, holding his zanpakutou to the side. His whole body erupted in some blue energy.

"How about…now?" Danny grunted, straining with keeping the energy in check.

"_Now!_" Ichigo said.

Danny released the huge ball of ghostly energies and let it fly straight into the rip. Ichigo swung down his sword, releasing his attack and letting it strike the flying ball as it zoomed straight into the midst of the Gillians.

The resulting contact caused it to explode, creating a huge mass of crackling electricity that even threatened to shock the two teenagers that were standing the air outside of the hollows' world.

"Whoa!" Ichigo shouted, backing off as a rogue stream of electricity came dangerously close to him.

"Great idea!" Danny said, grinning. He turned intangible as a bolt of lightning passed through him. "That'll knock their socks off!"

"They don't have socks," Ichigo responded. Danny shot him a look. "OK, OK, I get it. You were joking. Sorry. But, still, technically it would knock their masks off."

"That sounds stupid," Danny muttered, watching as the various Gillians in the dark world were paralyzed as the still crackling electricity coursed through their huge bodies.

"Yeah, but—" Ichigo started to say but stopped as he saw something that made his eyes widen. "Fantomu, look out!"

* * *

A huge explosion of enormous air pressure erupted in the small hallway, nearly sending the Fright Knight buckling to his knees in his first initial reactions.

The mini dust cloud behind promptly stopped, revealing a very torn up shinigami and an equally battered up knight. The shinigami was currently lying on top of the knight and was in the process of trying to strangle it but was having trouble due to the armor. His zanpakutou lay forgotten a few feet away along with the knight's mace.

"Stop!" the voice repeated again.

When the air pressure had been lessened slightly, the Fright Knight looked up to see a masked figure in a white robe standing before the beaten up shinigami and knight. Beside him stood a strange alien creature with three eyes.

"Who are you?" the masked man asked. He had a sword hanging between his legs.

"I am the Fright Knight," the Fright Knight said, straightening his back out to glower at the man. "Who are you?"

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri, taichou of the twelfth division and head of the Shinigami Research and Development," the man said. He studied the Fright Knight interestedly. "What are you?"

"I am the master of Halloween," the Fright Knight said.

The three eyed creature next to Kurotsuchi gave a snort. "Seriously, Frighty."

The Fright Knight's eyes narrowed. "I jest not. Perhaps you wish for a display of my powers?"

"Certainly." Kurotsuchi wore an insane grin as he drew his sword. "What can you do, hmm? Summon nightmares?"

"First," the Fright Knight said, "where is my sword?"

"I'm afraid I haven't seen a sword at all lately," Kurotsuchi said. "Unless you count our zanpakutous of course."

"I have no zanpakties," the Fright Knight, stumbling over the unfamiliar word. "I merely ask for my Soul Shredder."

The three eyed creature next to Kurotsuchi gave a shudder. "Soul Shredder?"

"What a curious name," Kurotsuchi commented. He turned his head to observe the panting shinigami behind him. "You there. What happened?"

"Taichou, he barged in and I tried to arrest him for trespassing," the shinigami reported. "I was trying to subdue him when he summoned a legion of knights in search of his sword. I was then engaged by this knight here." He gave a kick to the knight and then stepped backwards in shock as the head spiraled away from the body, bouncing off a wall to stop abruptly in midair, gleaming at the shinigami. "Gah!"

"Enough talk," the Fright Knight intoned in a solemn voice. "I shall search for my sword alone if you do not cooperate." He put out a hand and formed a green ball of spiraling energy. "Prepare to die."

"I was just about to say the same thing," Kurotsuchi said. "Kakimushire, Ashisogi Jizou."

The Fright Knight released his attack and Kurotsuchi leapt in to attack as an alarm went off. Ignoring the sound, the two warriors kept fighting furiously.

* * *

"Another alarm?" Hitsugaya cried in astonishment, running through the hallways. The sword on his back moved with his movements but he paid it no mind. He soon screeched to a halt before the lab. "What's going on?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou!" one of the shinigamis at the controls to a huge a screen said.

"Where is Kurotsuchi?" Hitsugaya demanded, walking up to the screen. "Why is the alarm going off?"

"Kurotsuchi-taichou has gone to examine something," the shinigami responded. "As for the alarm, there is another large spike in spiritual energy in the human realm. It appears that a rip from Hueco Mundo has opened up in Karakura, letting loose an army of Gillians."

"Gillians?" Hitsugaya looked over the stats and narrowed his eyes as he noted the various numbers.

"_All taichous please report. All taichous please report,_" the alarm suddenly said.

Hitsugaya whirled around and sped out of the lab. '_There better be a good reason for this._'

In another few minutes, Hitsugaya had again screeched to a stop inside the meeting room before Yamamoto. Most of the other taichous were also there with the exception of Kurotsuchi and Ukitake, who was apparently sick again.

"Now that most of you have assembled," Yamamoto began as the taichous filed into order, "I shall tell you who will go to the mortals' realm. Hitsugaya Toushirou and Kuchiki Byakuya shall go." The two taichous promptly nodded before Yamamoto added, "Go and be quick about it."

* * *

"Gee, Danny's taking a while," Tucker muttered, sighing as he looked out of the window. He was in the middle of English and wasn't really paying attention. "We can only cover for him so long."

"Manson." The teacher's sharp voice brought Tucker out of his reverie.

"Uh, y-yeah?" Tucker tried to appear as if he had been paying attention instead of daydreaming.

"Yes?" Sam said at the same time.

"Oh, sorry. I meant Mr. Manson," the teacher amended. "Please read out the translation on page fifty-four of your book. By the way, where is our other Manson today?"

"He's sick," Sam made up hurriedly. "He got an excuse from the nurse."

"I see." The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Hopefully it isn't catching."

"Uh, n-no." Sam plastered a bright smile on her face that completely contradicted her outlook on life. "To be honest, I think it was something he ate." '_What's taking you, Danny? It's already been an hour since you left._'

"In any case, page fifty-four, Manson," the teacher said, again forgetting that there were two different Mansons in the room.

"R-right." Tucker stood up, fumbling with the pages of his book. As he read out the translation in what he hoped sounded like fluent English to them (he still hadn't figured out how they understood his speech when he hadn't learned a thing about the Japanese language) he thought, '_Man. I hope Danny's all right._' He snuck a look out of the window and fancied he saw a black and white figure wielding a large ectoplasmic ball to fling it at nothing. '_And I also hope he doesn't destroy anything too bad._'

* * *

"What?" Danny asked nervously as he saw Ichigo looking more panicked by the second. "There's…there's not something behind me, is there?"

"Look out!" Ichigo shouted again.

Danny gulped and whirled around, his throat constricting as he saw a huge Menos Grande towering over him. It had apparently come out of another rip that was just starting to close behind it. Its mouth was opened and judging from the size of the attack it was gearing up, it had been standing there for a while.

"Oh crud." Danny shot a glance back at a petrified Ichigo. Neither of them was prepared for it as the Gillian released it right at the floating half-ghost. Danny didn't even have time to put up a glancing shield when the red light hit him, blocking him from the sight of the shinigami.

"Wha—Fantomu!" Ichigo cried as the attack hit the ghost. "Damn it!" He then flashed back to when he had first noticed the Menos Grande. It had somehow just appeared with the cero already firing up. '_Gillians are nowhere near that smart. What's going on? And why did it attack Fantomu? I'm the tasty shinigami here._'

Ichigo snapped back to attention as he saw the huge Menos Grande before him take a huge step backwards. He bent his knees slightly as he prepared for an attack that he knew would be coming. He wasn't concerned about the Gillians behind him as they were still inside the rip.

To his bemusement, the Gillian didn't even look at him. Instead, it craned its huge head downwards to peer at the ground. Ichigo warily followed its glance to see a huge crater in the middle of a street. He couldn't see anything in it as it was still a huge dust bowl at the moment. He threw his eyes back up to see the Gillian still fixated on the ground below.

'_Not targeting me?_' Ichigo wondered confusedly. He threw a glance behind him to see the hollows behind him not moving a step out into the real world. '_That's new. Are they…are they after Fantomu?_' Ichigo moved his sword before him and held it with both hands. "Well, if _they_ won't go for _me,_ _I'll_ go to _them_!"

Ichigo jumped straight off his perch in the air to take a flying leap into the hollow's face. He pushed off even higher to swing his sword straight down through the Gillian's mask. The orange-haired teenager jumped straight back as Zangetsu finished its journey through the Menos Grande.

He was temporarily blinded by the various particles of the disintegrating hollow but nearly fell out of the air when he heard another voice.

"Good work, Kurosaki." There was only one person with such an obnoxious voice. He turned his head to see Hitsugaya and Byakuya behind him, their taichou's robes flapping in the rough breeze. "How many left?"

"Toushirou!" Ichigo started in surprise. "Finally! It's about time Soul Society sent backup! You guys should know how to close this rip, right?"

"The hollows should close the rip after them," Hitsugaya said. "We came to give you backup. How did you hold up anyway?"

"Fantomu!" Ichigo looked straight down. He still couldn't see anything for the dust.

"You asked a _ghost_ to help you?" Hitsugaya burst out.

"Hey!" Ichigo defended himself. "I was already here and I saw the guy trying to hold off against a huge Gillian! It's not my fault Soul Society can't keep these things under check!"

"Soul Society doesn't keep these hollows under check, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya snapped, drawing his zanpakutou. "We merely deal with them after they attack."

"Fine." Ichigo shrugged and turned back to the rip. "You should know then that these things weren't paying any attention to me. They were aiming for Fantomu."

"Say what?" Byakuya finally spoke.

Ichigo jumped. "Whoops! Forgot you were there, Byakuya." Byakuya's frown deepened. "Uh, I said that I think they're aiming for Fantomu."

"Whatever their aim, we need to push them back into their own world," Hitsugaya said, moving his zanpakutou into an attacking position.

"They are already in their own world," Ichigo said.

Hitsugaya glared at him out of the corner of his eyes.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist."

* * *

Danny groaned as he opened his eyes blearily. He couldn't see anything for a few moments and panicked before realizing that he couldn't see because he was in the middle of a huge dust cloud. He picked himself up, wincing as he felt pain in places he didn't even know he should feel pain in.

"Ugh. I feel like a truck rammed into me." Danny flinched as he tried to stretch his arm out. "I guess that attack was the equivalent of a truck." He stopped in the middle of cleaning his hair when he realized he wasn't in ghost form anymore. "Agh! Did he see me?" Danny looked upwards to Ichigo but had to squint when he couldn't see anything but the dust his landing had raised up. "Guess not." He summoned the two bluish-white rings and transformed back into Phantom. "Time to go banzai on those freaks."

Danny Phantom zoomed up out of the dust cloud, his green eyes a blazing. He didn't even notice that all the passer-bys that should've been there had long since escaped. In another few seconds, he had zipped up to Ichigo's level before stopping abruptly upon realizing that they had two visitors.

"Hitsi!" Danny said. "Biki!"

Hitsugaya promptly gave him a glare that could've killed on the spot and Byakuya merely put a hand on his zanpakutou. Ichigo had to turn his face in order to try and suppress a snicker and the grin he knew would be creeping up on his face.

"You're backup?" Danny asked, not realizing he had just made a grave error in addressing them.

"Yep," Ichigo said, when he decided that he wouldn't be breaking out into suspicious grins anymore. "They came to push back the hollows into their world."

"But they're already in it," Danny said, floating behind the shinigamis and out of sight of the rip.

"That's what I said!"

"Are you dumb?" Byakuya inquired. "These hollows just caused a mass invasion in this world. We need to—"

"Close the rip?" Danny interceded. "That's what I'd like to do. Any ideas? Ichigo and I already tried to push them back and it kind of worked until Mister Holly snuck up behind me and nailed me to the ground with a nasty attack."

"Hollow," Ichigo said automatically.

"I was _joking,_" Danny said irritably.

"Er, right." Ichigo muttered under his breath, "That wasn't in the least bit funny."

"Back the point," Hitsugaya said, "we need to push those hollows back far enough so that they close this rip."

"You can't do that? I thought you were shinigamis!" Danny cried in dismay.

"We are. We just can't do everything," Hitsugaya shot back.

"Fine." Danny put a hand to his forehead. '_Argh. I am so dead once I get back._' "What's your big plan, Mister Hot-shot?"

"Push them back," Hitsugaya repeated, staring at the ghost boy as if he was crazy. "There's not much else you can do unless you want to get stuck in Hueco Mundo."

"Huecy what?" Danny furrowed his brow in confusion. He hadn't even realized that Hitsugaya had stepped aside slightly to allow him leverage to the tear in the sky.

"The hollows' world," Byakuya explained patiently.

Danny jumped at the sound of the other taichou's voice. "Oops. Forgot you were there."

Ichigo had to repress another snicker at the look on Byakuya's face. He then realized something that the others had been either ignoring or just hadn't noticed. Several Gillians had approached the rip and were eyeing Fantomu in a way that he didn't like. He didn't know how he knew that they were eyeing Fantomu but judging from the way their beady eyes were directed, he knew that Fantomu was in their line of fire.

"Hey, guys?" Ichigo interjected his question into their conversation. "I think…I think you might want to take a look at what's going on."

"What?" Danny said. He looked behind Ichigo and his eyes widened. "Why…why are they looking at me like that?"

Before any of the others could react, all the hollows who had poked their noses out of the rip—and that was five, mind you—opened their mouths and fired ceros in an instant. Danny barely had any time to react as he was forced to throw up a huge shield to counter their attacks.

"Whoa!" Ichigo stumbled backwards slightly at the abrupt change in scenery. The green shield of Danny's counteracted with the red light of the Gillians'.

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and responded by calling out, "Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!" Immediately his zanpakutou changed by a chain coming out of the base of the hilt with a blade dangling off the edge of it. Water molecules in the air started to condense and form ice that soon shaped to form a huge dragon. It enveloped the taichou as the transformation into shikai finished.

"Move, Fantomu!" Hitsugaya demanded as he jumped forward, swinging Hyourinmaru as he did so. The dragon followed the zanpakutou's movements by edging its nose forward and straight through the shield Danny had managed to summon in a split second.

"Wh-what a-are you doing?" Danny managed to get out through the strain of keeping the shield up to hold off five ceros.

"I said, '_move_'!" Hitsugaya repeated, driving his ice dragon straight through the shield and knocking Danny back by the force of it. The crystallized dragon roared forwards through the red light of the ceros and absorbed the impact. The dragon glowed red for a moment before opening its mouth and letting out a red beam of light that blinded the shinigamis and one exhausted half-ghost.

The absorbed cero times five crashed through the masks of the five hollows and disintegrated them before they could even take a step backwards. It then lit up the whole of Hueco Mundo with a brilliant red light.

Slowly, the great rip in the sky began to close. Danny watched in amazement as a huge Menos Grande stuck its hand out and drew the rip over it as if it were a blanket. Soon, all traces of Hueco Mundo and its Gillians had disappeared entirely. The only remnant of the fight was the huge crater in the middle of the street below them.

"I knew that would probably do it," Hitsugaya said with a satisfied smirk on his face. He then whirled around to face Danny, who floated back a few feet in reflex at the look in the young taichou's eyes.

"That's a bit extravagant, Toushirou," Ichigo stated, gazing at the huge ice dragon that was wrapped around Hitsugaya.

"Not the point, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya said, overlooking the "Toushirou" part for the second time. "You, Fantomu, _are_ going to come in with us this time. No questions."

"I don't _want_ to!" Danny protested. '_Sam and Tucker are going to kill me if I vanish on them._'

"You don't have a choice," Byakuya said.

"You don't have the power to resist us," Hitsugaya said. As if enforcing his point, the huge ice dragon around him narrowed the distance between the ghost boy and itself. He threw his gaze to Ichigo. "You're coming in, too, as you've already spent some time with him."

Ichigo blanched. "But I can't do that! I've already missed several hours of school! My teachers are going to kill me!"

"Didn't stop you before from entering Soul Society," Hitsugaya said, referring to the time when Ichigo had barged into the spirit world while trying to rescue Rukia.

"That was summer break!"

"Uh, I think your school day is over," Danny broke in, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Ichigo shot him a curious glance. Danny started stammering, "Um, y-you know. D-don't your schools end around this time?"

"Oh gosh. And I had a huge math test, too," Ichigo groaned, putting Zangetsu back into its spot on his back. "Guess I can forget my grade."

'_And there goes my grade, too,_' Danny thought, remembering that he, too, had a math test.

"Regardless of school," Byakuya intoned his bored voice, "you will need to come in. There are several questions that are of vital importance that must be asked."

"Ah ha," Danny laughed nervously. "Er, 'bout that. Can't you ask me here? I kinda…I kinda have stuff to do here, too."

"No, you're coming in," Hitsugaya said firmly.

'_There's goes my shot at freedom._' Danny sighed as he realized that he didn't have any choice. He was going. One way or the other.

* * *

"Taichou!" the shinigami yelled as Kurotsuchi was thrust back with a green beam from the Fright Knight.

"No matter," Kurotsuchi grunted as he pushed himself off of the wall. "You are a formidable opponent."

"Oh indeed?" the Fright Knight said. "You seem exceptionally weak."

"Well really!" Three-Eyed burst from his spot next to the shinigami. The knight the shinigami had been beating up was now subdued and tied up by a rope without any protest. It might also have something to do with the fact that its head was lying at least ten feet away.

"Oh, no, no," Kurotsuchi said dismissively, stopping Three-Eyed from going any further. "It's quite fine." He let an insane grin cross his face. "After all, soon he won't have any mouth to insult me with."

"Does he have a mouth?" the shinigami asked, confused.

"In any case," Kurotsuchi said, his golden three-pronged zanpakutou held in an attacking position, "it's time to finish this battle."

"That it is," the Fright Knight agreed. "But first"—he put out both his hands and they glowed a brilliant green—"you shall watch this."

"Your glowing effect?" Kurotsuchi sneered. "Very impressive."

"No. Not that. _This._" The Fright Knight slammed his hands down on the ground and let his ghostly energies spread throughout the walls and floor. He then began chanting in the strange language and let the echoes of his words fill their surroundings.

All those that were present, except for the Fright Knight, were soon almost tossed off their feet by an enormous rumbling and quaking that sent dust falling from the ceiling. They could hear a distant roaring sound and crashing noises that didn't bode well.

When the Fright Knight finally stopped, he picked himself up off the ground and dusted his hands off. He started to hover a couple of feet off the ground and said, "You have been warned. Return my Soul Shredder to me or face the consequences."

The Fright Knight then dramatically burst into dozens of black bats, each of them phasing through a wall or the ceiling.

Kurotsuchi immediately began barking out orders, "Quickly! We need to see what he was up to!"

The three of them sprinted down the hallways and out into the open, before screeching to a stop at the sight that greeted them. Even the taichou seemed shell-shocked at what lay before him.

For before them, and the whole of the Seireitei, was an enormous castle. It floated above them all, an ominous omen of what was to come.

* * *

**EDIT (05/14/09): **Due to complaints, I have edited the Fright Knight's disappearance. He now disappears in a large cloud of bats.

**And now, for the last bit. REVIEW PLEASE! It'll let me know what you think! : ) Like about the scenes with the Fright Knight. I gave him those powers (_SpartanCommander _helped) because all he really can do is fight with his sword and summon meteors of flames (check **_**The Ultimate Enemy**_**). It gave him a bit more of an arsenal. Oh yeah. Those knights he summoned are going to come in, too.**


	9. Soul Society

**Thanks to _Jerrac, Miriam1, InsomniacDreamster, Bored2Deth, Miss Captain-Mad Dog Vane, SpartanCommander, Piece of Toast, NarutoPhantom, PLC the CD, FantomoDrako, ShadowFox123, Nova Bucker, mimifoxlove_, and _TheRavenQuoth_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't really live in a shack. But still, what makes you think I own **_**Bleach**_** or **_**Danny Phantom**_**? I'M INNOCENT! (cowers from approaching lawyers)**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Soul Society**

* * *

'_Sam and Tucker are going to be so worried,_' Danny thought frantically. He was being watched closely by Hitsugaya, so he couldn't even sneak away from the shinigamis and tell his friends.

Turning invisible wouldn't be an option either as that huge ice dragon was still sitting there in midair. He had a sneaky feeling that it would catch up to him before he could get too far.

"Preparations are complete," Byakuya reported.

"Good," Hitsugaya said, taking his eyes off Danny for a moment. "We'll be off now."

"Do I have to go?" Ichigo asked for the hundredth time.

'_Good question,_' Danny agreed.

"Yes, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya said irritably. "You're the one who's spent the most time with Fantomu."

"Yippee," Ichigo said sarcastically.

Danny repressed a snicker.

What happened next made his jaw drop. Before his very eyes, a portal opened in midair. It opened out into a dark purple realm with dripping goo. It didn't look very inviting.

Hitsugaya prodded him forwards towards the uninviting place.

'_Of course. It has to be big, fancy, and disgusting._' Danny was only a foot away from it and imagined he could smell the putrid air in it.

"We're not going to be chased by the sweeper thing again, are we?" Ichigo was hanging back.

"It's perfectly safe," Hitsugaya said.

"Says you," Ichigo muttered.

'_What's a sweeper?_' Danny's curiosity was aroused. '_It doesn't sound too good._'

"In," Hitsugaya commanded, shoving Danny through the portal and into the purple world before stepping in himself. The ice dragon behind him receded and disappeared. Danny could have sworn his zanpakutou gleamed once before fading back into its normal luster. Byakuya and Ichigo followed, too, and the rip behind them closed, leaving them amongst the dank purple mess.

* * *

Sam bit her lip, thinking. '_Danny's been gone for far too long. I hope he's all right._'

The bell that signaled the end of school for that day rang. Sam absentmindedly gathered her books and went out into the hallway to wait for Tucker, who had a different class.

"Hey, Yabun!" Tucker was smiling brightly. "How's the fort holding?"

"Drop the act, Yori," Sam said bitterly. She walked over to her locker, threw her books inside, and slammed it shut, making the whole door rattle.

"Worried about Danny?" Tucker whispered, checking to be sure no one was eavesdropping. "I think he's fine."

"How can you know that?" Sam moved away from Tucker and made her way out of school. The hallways were already partway empty. "We haven't seen or heard from him!"

"I know." Tucker sped up to match her fierce pace. "But I've got a gut feeling he's okay. We'll have to trust him."

"I hate it when that's all I can do," Sam murmured, turning her face form the African American so he wouldn't see her watering eyes.

"I do, too," Tucker said sympathetically. "That's why we've got to do our best to let him know we're not happy with that." He opened the door to let Sam through. He stepped out of the school afterwards. "For now, why don't we try to find him?"

Sam smiled in relief. "You read my mind." She barreled down the street without actually running.

"Any ideas?" Tucker tried to keep up. "We can't just wander all over the place. We'll get lost."

"There's gotta be damage from the fight," Sam reasoned. "We just need to look for it."

"I get ya." Tucker nodded wisely. "Any ideas?" he asked again.

Sam rolled her eyes and refrained from biting his head off. Fighting wouldn't solve matters. She took a breath to calm herself down.

"The news, Tucker," Sam said as calmly as she could. "They'll be reporting this stuff."

"Of course." Tucker looked ashamed. He was aware of how close he had come to igniting Sam's fiery temper and thanked the stars nothing had happened. He rummaged around in his pockets for his trusty PDA. "Hang on. Lemme search the channels for something good." Finding it, he pulled it out and started beeping around on it.

They spent several minutes this way until Tucker got hold of a good station. Before they could look at it, though, a familiar yet dreaded voice made them freeze.

"I never expected to find the ghost child's friends here."

Cursing silently and wishing Danny was there, both teens turned to face a familiar foe.

* * *

"I thought you said this was safe!" Ichigo was yelling to Hitsugaya.

"I thought it was!" Hitsugaya yelled back.

Danny rolled his eyes and refrained from commenting.

They were on the run from a huge machine with an eyeball that seemed to light everything up. Judging from Ichigo's reaction, this was the dreaded sweeper.

"Next time, _I'm_ picking the route!" Ichigo said, glaring at the white-haired boy.

"There is no other route, Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya said, glaring at the orange-haired teen out of the corner of his eye.

"Less talking more running?" Danny suggested. "What's so scary about that thing anyway?"

"It destroys anything that uses spiritual energy!" Ichigo explained. He chanced a look behind him. "Crap! It's catching up!"

Danny looked over his shoulder, too, to see the sweeper-like thing steadily gaining on them.

"Hey, how much longer?" Danny didn't seem very concerned.

Ichigo stared at the ghost boy in disbelief. "Uh, see that light at the far end?" He pointed to a white light in the distance. "That's our destination. You're not scared?"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Should I be? I can just turn intangible to avoid it."

"It eats anything and everything that uses reiryoku!" Ichigo said again. When he was greeted by a clueless look from the white-haired ghost he elaborated, "Spiritual energy!"

"Do I use that?"

"You're a spirit even if you say you're a ghost," Hitsugaya said. "Besides, as that sweeper passes through this tunnel, it closes everything off behind it. Even if you were to turn intangible there would be nothing there for you to materialize in."

"That wouldn't be pretty," Danny muttered.

"We're almost there," Byakuya said. He didn't even seem to be putting any effort into the running.

Danny looked up once more at the white light and then behind him to see the sweeper barely ten feet away from nipping their heels.

"We're not going to make it!" Ichigo cried.

"Sure we are!" Danny said firmly. "Keep going!" He braced his feet, screeched to a halt, and faced the oncoming sweeper.

"Fantomu? What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo tried to turn around to grab Danny's elbow but was shoved violently away by the ghost boy. "Hey!"

"I said, _keep going_!" Danny said once more. He put out his hands and they glowed green. "I'll handle this thing until you get through! Trust me!"

The last thing the shinigamis saw of the halfa was him putting up a glowing green shield and being pushed backwards several feet by the impact before they all jumped into the white light and came out on the other side.

Ichigo stumbled in midair for a few moments before finding the spiritual particles in the air and solidifying them to stand. Hitsugaya and Byakuya stopped with a much more graceful landing in the blue sky.

"Fantomu!" Ichigo called out in alarm as a huge flash of green light erupted from the rip. The next thing they saw was a black and white blur flying out as the hole closed. This white and black blur turned about to be a frazzled Danny who stopped his flight abruptly.

"Hey. What's up?" Danny waved nonchalantly at the dumbfounded shinigamis. "Told you."

Ichigo was temporarily speechless but soon found his voice again. "Don't do that again!"

"Why not?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm all right, aren't I?"

"If that sweeper thing touched you and not your shield you'd be dead!" Ichigo recalled what Yoruichi had told him the first time he'd gone through that passageway.

"I'm already dead," Danny said. "Can't get any deader than I already am." He caught sight of the two still speechless taichous. He waved a gloved hand before their faces. "Hello? Earth to Hitsi. Biki…" He stared at the black-haired taichou's face. "You okay?"

"Wh-what is that?" Hitsugaya finally found his voice. He didn't even comment on the mispronunciation of his name.

"A ghost?" Danny was confused. "Are you talking about me?"

Ichigo turned to look at what the two taichous were staring at in disbelief and his jaw dropped open. "Uh, Fantomu?" Danny directed his attention to the substitute shinigami. "I don't think they're talking about you. They're talking about _that._" Ichigo pointed to something in the air.

Danny followed Ichigo's finger and nearly fell out of the air when he saw what all three shinigamis were staring at.

Before them and above the whole of the city below them, was a huge castle. It simply floated there, glowering down at them all. The stones it was made up of were pitch black and several turrets with green flags that had pumpkins on them were sticking out of it. To top it off, the whole castle was outlined in an eerie green glow.

"Where have I seen that before?" Danny scratched his head in puzzlement. He had found his voice earlier than the others. He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I know I saw it in the Ghost Zone. What's it called again?" He was muttering now and the shinigamis had directed their gazes to him. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Got it. It reminds me of Pariah's Keep. But somehow, I don't think it's the same castle. The stones are too black and Pariah's Keep didn't have flags with pumpkins on them."

"How come you pronounce 'pariahy' correct and not our names?" Hitsugaya latched onto the wrong thing.

"Uh, 'cause that was the only weird name I was introduced to at the time?" Danny shot him a sheepish look. "I don't think that was the point." He then looked confused. "Your name's not Hitsi?"

Before Hitsugaya could snap at him, Byakuya spoke. "There's a jigokuchou coming." He held out his hand and let a purple butterfly perch on his finger. He seemed to be paying attention to something coming from it.

Hitsugaya had turned his attention from Danny and was now paying attention to an identical butterfly on his finger.

"Erm." Danny shot confused looks between the taichous. "Am I missing something here?"

"Those are what they use to communicate within Soul Society," Ichigo explained, understanding his puzzlement. "It's also what's needed if they want safe passage between our world and this world. _Without_ the sweeper," he added as an afterthought.

"Sounds nice." Danny grinned ruefully.

They were brought of their conversation by Hitsugaya. "There's been a meeting called on account of this spectacle. All taichous have been called and their fukutaichous are to be at a different meeting." He paused before continuing, "There have also been accounts of an army of knights wrecking everything in plain sight in the twelfth division's laboratories."

"Knights?" Danny's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh man. If that's who I think it is, it's not going to be fun to get rid of this thing." He gestured to the castle. "What's he doing here though?"

"Who's 'he'?" Ichigo was completely clueless.

"Can I join in on the meeting?" Danny asked. "I know what you're going up against."

Hitsugaya shared a glance with Byakuya.

"Maybe," he said hesitantly. "We do need to bring you in for questioning."

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Danny whizzed down impatiently.

"How'd that castle get within the dome, though?" Hitsugaya mused, not following the half-ghost immediately.

"Dome?" Ichigo then realized what he was talking about. "Oh, that nasty thing that absorbs reiryoku? You might wanna ask Fantomu. Speaking of which, he's almost out of sight." He pointed to a small spot on the ground.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hitsugaya immediately leaped down, followed by Byakuya.

"Oh, so now it's _my_ fault that you didn't hear his declaration of 'let's go'?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He saw that no one was listening. "Ah whatever."

* * *

"Hey, what's going on here?" Renji watched in amazement as a horde of shinigamis tried to push their way out of a doorway and out of the laboratory of the twelfth division.

"Oh, Abarai-fukutaichou!" A shinigami stopped to pay his salutes to the red-haired fukutaichou. "There's an army in there!"

"An army of what?"

"Uh, why don't you find out?" the shinigami said nervously before running off.

"Hey! Wait!" Renji called after him. The shinigami didn't return. Renji huffed before pushing his way against the flow of shinigamis. Most of them were already out, though. "Don't see what can be so bad." He looked up at the sky to see the castle above their heads. "As far as I can tell, that thing appearing out of nowhere takes the cake."

But when Renji stepped into the laboratory, he found that he was quite wrong. He was immediately affronted with a fiery knight that wielded a…spatula? Renji raised an eyebrow at the odd weapon but countered with his Zabimaru. He lopped off the knight's head and was greeted by an empty space where the head should have been.

"Argh!" Renji jumped back in shock. He could have sworn there had been green eyes when the helmet had been on the armor. What happened to them? He watched as the armor collapsed before him, sending the spatula flying away.

"Too weird," Renji muttered, jumping over the pile of armor. He ran away and deeper into the clamors he could hear beyond the doorways in the hallway he was in. The shinigami never noticed the knight he had encountered disappear into the floor.

Renji had just nearly gotten to a certain room when he stopped abruptly to stare at a certain sight that made his jaw drop straight open.

The room he was staring in was a total mess. Eerie, floating knights were ransacking the whole place and books, papers, and various zanpakutous were strewn across the floor. As he watched, a knight effortlessly lifted up a huge computer desk and let another knight pry up stones to peek below them before placing them back where they rested.

"Too weird," Renji said again, shaking his head and walking away from it. That room was not his priority at the moment.

He sprinted down another hallway and bypassed more rooms where knights throwing around stuff. One particularly loud crash made him wince as he knew that one of Kurotsuchi Mayuri's precious experiments had most likely been trashed as a knight inspected whatever was under it.

'_What are they looking for anyway?_' Renji dodged a swipe from a knight who walked out of a wall and cut the knight in half with his zanpakutou. '_Well, it's still obvious that none of them are very bright. Who looks under slabs of stone for something unless it's a piece of paper?_'

In another few minutes, Renji had arrived at his destination, panting. He stepped into the room and slammed the door shut just as a spear attempted to gore him. Luckily, it didn't phase through the door but Renji felt something sharp prick his back.

"I'm here," Renji announced, trying to slow his erratic breathing down. "What's the problem, sir?"

Three-Eyed turned to the out of breath fukutaichou and said, "Good. You're here."

"Obviously," Renji muttered.

"I need you to guard this." Three-Eyed pointed to a glowing green zanpakutou that lay on a table behind him. "Those knights are after this for some inexplicable reason."

"You do know that there's a castle floating in midair?" Renji said, inspecting the odd zanpakutou. It certainly didn't look like one.

"Of course," Three-Eyed said, irritated. "That's why I must leave this object alone for now."

"You also know that I should be at an important meeting?" Renji said.

"I asked for permission," Three-Eyed said. "Kurotsuchi-taichou will be taking care of the cleanup."

"The way you say it sounds really nasty," Renji said under his breath. Aloud, "Why don't you just give this zanpakutou to them?"

Three-Eyed gave an involuntary shudder. "Are you crazy? This object has feared powers! One particularly violent knight already barged in here and demanded that we hand it over! When we didn't, he summoned _that._"

Renji rolled his eyes upwards. "Fine. I get it. Bad zanpakutou to hand out to evil glowing knights who're trashing everything in sight. You can leave."

"How rude," Three-Eyed said as he pushed past Renji.

The fukutaichou inwardly fumed as the creature left him alone in the room with the glowing zanpakutou. Curious, he looked at it once more before assuming a pose before it to make sure that no freaky knights would get it.

* * *

"Skulker," Sam said, her eyes narrowing.

"Present," the ghost hunter replied. He grinned. "To what do I owe this unexpected surprise?"

"Where's Danny?" Sam demanded.

"I assumed you knew," Skulker said. "I suppose this means he's here?"

"What _are_ you doing here?" Tucker asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in the Ghost Zone?"

"Who'd want to be there now?" Skulker grinned. "The hunt is much more amusing here. And with the ghost child thrown into the mix, I can finally show him I don't need video games to cure my obsession with guns."

"Actually, I think Danny's hit the nail on the head," Sam said, smirking. "Video games are _exactly_ what you need."

Skulker scowled. "May I ask what _you_ are doing here? This is not your home."

"So it isn't." Sam pretended to look surprised and shocked. "Oh no!" she gasped in mock horror. "How ever did we get here, Tucker?" She dramatically clutched a freaked out Tucker's arm. "Whatever shall we do without our brave ghost boy?"

"Uh, Sam?" Tucker asked cautiously. He detached her arm. "Are you okay?"

"No. I lost my mind." She slapped his head and knocked off his beret. "I was acting, Tucker," Sam said. She rolled her eyes before looking at Skulker again. "What's going on back in Amity Park?"

"You don't know?" Skulker looked confused before realizing something. "Oh right. The ghost child disappeared before the whole ruckus began."

"What ruckus?" Tucker inquired. "There's nothing bad going on, is there?"

"Besides the whole of the Ghost Zone being under siege from strange masked creatures, uh, no," Skulker said. "Everything's fine."

"Siege?" Tucker's eyes widened.

"Masked creatures?" Sam looked intrigued. "Say, those things couldn't be the same things Danny's been seeing here, could they?" She appeared thoughtful. "Can people back in Amity Park see them?"

"Surprisingly no," Skulker said. "Otherwise the whole place'd be a madhouse."

"That's _our_ madhouse," Tucker said proudly.

"You wouldn't happen to have been hit by a red beam of light before coming here, would you?" Sam asked, ignoring Tucker.

"I was." Skulker raised an eyebrow, wondering where this was going. So far, neither of them had pulled out a thermos and sucked him in. He supposed that counted for something.

"That's gotta have _something_ to do with this whole mess," Sam muttered.

"Do you know what happened to Danny?" Tucker steered the conversation back to its original topic. "Maybe you saw something weird?"

"Let's see." Skulker thought for a moment. "I was fixing a certain glitch in my programming when I felt and heard something strange. It felt like the whole space was twisting apart and then I saw _that._" Skulker gave a small shudder.

"What?" Sam pressed, curious to know what had scared him.

"A huge rip in the sky," Skulker continued, troubled. "Monsters were coming out of it and I thought I saw a black and white figure throw up a shield when one attacked. I left after that," Skulker finished.

"That's gotta be Danny!" Tucker said, delighted. "Gee, man, if you weren't an evil ghost I'd be hugging you right now."

"I'd rather not." Skulker backed off from the techno geek.

"That's gross, Tuck," Sam commented.

"Well, now that our questions have been answered," Skulker said cheerfully, "it's time to return to the hunt." He trained a gun on the two teens. "You two will make the perfect bait."

Before either Sam or Tucker could draw anything to defend themselves, Skulker's arm went off in a series of beeps. He looked at it wordlessly while the two friends shared confused looks.

" 'Go to exhibit to study habits of purple-back gorilla'?" Skulker read out in dismay. "I should've fixed that!" Unwillingly, he took off before he could carry out his threat.

There was silence before Sam broke it. "Good work, Tuck."

Tucker put up his hands in innocence. "Didn't do anything. I guess that glitch wasn't fixed." He grinned.

"Ah well." Sam shrugged. "At least we found some answers."

"And questions," Tucker added. "Wanna go look for Danny?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"Wait up for us next time!" Hitsugaya snapped.

"You guys were so busy gaping at the castle I took the opportunity and left," Danny retorted.

"Will you guys shut it?" Ichigo groaned. "You've been going at each other for the last so many minutes!"

The group was hurrying to the meeting room so that Hitsugaya and Byakuya could make their reports. Danny was there for questioning and Ichigo…Ichigo was just tagging along for now.

"Almost there?" Danny asked as they swept down another corridor.

"Almost there," Hitsugaya confirmed.

"Sheesh." Danny peered down another hallway. "This place is a maze."

"If you think this is bad you should see the outside of this place," Ichigo said. "Now _that's_ a maze. Everybody gets lost there."

"We're here," Byakuya announced, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder so he wouldn't go any further and miss the room. "Keep your mouth shut unless spoken to and stand straight."

Danny stared at him in astonishment. "He speaks!"

Byakuya merely scowled and swept into the room. Hitsugaya followed.

Danny whispered to Ichigo, "No seriously. I think that's the most he's ever said."

Ichigo stifled a snicker. "You should've heard him when we fought. He talked a lot then."

"I have yet to believe that," Danny muttered before entering the room.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou," Hitsugaya said respectfully, "we brought in Fantomu."

"What am I? A prisoner?" Danny spoke up, insulted. He immediately wished he hadn't as all eyes turned on him. "Er, never mind me. I'm not even here." As if to prove his point, he flickered in and out of visibility. Some gasped but Danny found a spiky-haired guy eyeing him in a way he didn't like at all.

"Enough," an old man who looked like he should have been in retirement said. Danny figured that his beard, if untied, could probably clean the floor. "We have not come here to talk. We have come here to discuss the problem at hand."

'_Isn't "discuss" the same thing as "talk"?_' Danny thought. But he kept his silence. The last thing he needed was to be locked up. He would never get back to Sam and Tucker then.

"Which would be that floating castle hanging above our heads like an ominous omen, am I right, ol' man Yama?" a guy in a pink flowery robe and a hat said.

"What on earth is that doing there anyway?" a woman with hair that looked blue said. She had two braids. "How did it just appear inside the dome?"

"I may know the answer to that," a new voice said. Heads turned to a masked, yellow-eyed man stepping in. He had just arrived.

"Explain," the old man ordered. Danny again wondered why he wasn't in retirement. He looked so stooped over, wrinkled, and old that he was surprised that the guy was even standing.

"I was fighting a strange knighted figure that was looking for his 'sword'," the masked man said, waving his hands as he said "sword", "and he left abruptly after a strange spell. I ran outside with another shinigami and my assistant and saw that castle there."

"How did that intruder get in the dome?" the woman repeated her question again.

'_Knight. Pumpkins. Castle._' Danny chewed his lip, thinking it through. '_Looking for his sword. There's only one ghost._' He watched as the shinigamis continued to argue and discuss. '_Will they let me offer my opinion?_'

"We need to go in there," the old man announced, "and inspect the layout."

"WHAT?" Danny shouted, making everyone else jump. "ARE YOU CRAZY?" He then realized he had been shouting and blushed nervously. "Heh. Sorry." He cleared his throat and continued in a softer tone of voice, "You can't just barge in there and not know what you're getting into!"

"I don't believe we asked for your insight, kid," the woman said sharply. Danny inwardly flinched at her cold eyes.

"The kid's got spunk," the spiky-haired guy Danny had noticed earlier said, an insane grin lighting up his features. "I like that." Danny got shivers down his spine as he noted the demented look in his eyes. He could've sworn that Ichigo gave shivers behind him but wasn't sure.

"We brought you here to answer questions," Hitsugaya said. "Perhaps you can enlighten us."

"OK. I've got a slight idea on who it can be," Danny admitted. "This figure. Did he call himself the Fright Knight?"

"That is correct," Kurotsuchi said. Danny got chills up and down his spine as the masked guy looked him up and down like a specimen. "Are you a ghost?"

"I wouldn't answer that if I were you," Ichigo muttered.

"Yes I am," Danny said before he heard what Ichigo had said. Then he registered what the orange-haired shinigami had said. "Uh, what?" he asked Ichigo.

"Never mind." Ichigo sighed as he saw the insane scientist's eyes light up. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri," Kurotsuchi said. "Taichou of the twelfth division and head of the Shinigami Research and Development. Would you accept my offer to become an experiment?"

Danny stepped back in horror. "What? No way." He stared at the taichou suspiciously. "You're not a fruit loop, are you?"

"I beg your pardon?" Kurotsuchi gazed at the half-ghost in bemusement. "Why would I be a breakfast cereal?"

"Just a thought," Danny muttered, eyeing the shinigami warily. "Erm…" He noticed that the other taichous were staring at him impatiently. "Right. Where was I?" He cleared his throat nervously and continued, "So it's the Fright Knight, right? He's the Halloween ghost."

"And next you're going to tell us that there's a Christmas ghost," Soifon said. "Get serious, kid."

"Wouldn't surprise me if there was one," Danny said. "A Christmas ghost, that is. OK, um, anyway, the guy's weakness is a pumpkin."

"A pumpkin?" Kyouraku raised an eyebrow.

"Don't jest," Byakuya said sharply.

"I'm not," Danny said. "Why do you think he has a pumpkin on his flags?"

"Because he's the Halloween ghost?" Soifon said.

"And it's his weakness," Danny said. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "He was looking for his Soul Shredder, wasn't he? Do you guys have it?" he demanded.

The other taichous looked mystified but Danny noticed that Kurotsuchi was looking shifty eyed.

"You do have it, don't you?" Danny accused the twelfth division taichou. "Where is it?"

"How do you know he's looking for a sword anyway?" a wolf-faced guy asked. "He could just be here for the heck of it."

Danny glanced at him once before shaking his head. "Believe me; the Fright Knight's obsessed over his sword. I should know seeing as I had the bad luck to actually take the sword in the first place. He immediately came running after me to fetch it and then there was a right old party."

"Why'd you take the sword anyway?" Ichigo inquired.

"I didn't know!" Danny said defensively. "How was I supposed to know that the minute you pull the sword out of the pumpkin the Fright Knight appears? But anyway," he continued in a somber tone, "you guys _do_ have his Soul Shredder, don't you? Where is it?"

"Why on earth would we hand over a dangerous article like that?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"You have it," Danny said immediately.

"But it's a _Soul Shredder,_" Soifon objected. "We can't just hand over a sword to dangerous 'Halloween ghost' "—she wrinkled her nose at the words—"that actually _shreds_ the souls of those that it cuts!"

Danny looked mystified for a moment before realizing what she meant. "Oh. You think it shreds the souls? Don't worry about that. It just sends whoever gets cut by it into a realm of their darkest nightmare."

"Then why is it called a Soul Shredder?" Hitsugaya demanded. "It can just be dubbed 'Nightmare Realm' then."

Danny shrugged. "I'm not the Fright Knight." He sighed. "Why don't you just hand over the sword? He'll be happy and leave us alone then." '_I should probably leave out the fact that he'll most likely start trying to take over the world by changing innocent mailboxes into man-eating paper shredders as soon as he gets his hands on his sword._' He shifted his thermos. '_But that's why I've got this._'

"In any case," Yamamoto rumbled, stepping in before the argument escalated anymore, "it is clear we must step in before anymore casualties are seen."

"Casualties?" Danny couldn't help asking. "Did someone die?"

"We aren't sure," another dark-haired woman spoke up softly. "It's possible that there are but the twelfth division's laboratories are currently in chaos due to the knights infiltrating it."

'_Knights?_' Danny was apprehensive. '_Last time I checked, the Fright Knight didn't have the ability to summon knights. But then again, I don't think he fought me at full strength._'

"According to this spirit"—Danny resisted the urge to say "ghost"—"the Fright Knight is dangerous. We must use extreme caution in approaching this spirit. It is best we analyze the situation first. It is for this reason that I am ordering a special team to infiltrate the floating castle to assess the situation."

'_I tried._' Danny mentally sighed as he watched the discussion continue. '_At least they're warned._' He noticed Hitsugaya's eyes on him. '_I guess now it's my turn to answer friendly questions. No wait. It's an interrogation._'

"Yamamoto-soutaichou," Hitsugaya said as soon as there was a pause in the conversation. "I'm asking for permission to interrogate Fantomu."

'_Short, sweet, and to the point._' Danny repressed the urge to groan. '_I really hoped that they had forgotten about me in the ruckus about the Fright Knight._'

"Permission given," Yamamoto said.

"Thank you." Hitsugaya bowed his head before throwing his gaze back to Danny. It clearly read, "Let's go."

Danny resisted the urge to wave cheekily at him and followed the shorter taichou. On his heels were Ichigo and Byakuya. Surprisingly, he also saw that the creepy taichou with the mask was following him.

Danny kept his mouth shut but thought, '_What does he want? I hope he doesn't ask me to be an experiment again. That's just creepy._'

He shivered once at the thought before redirecting his attention to where the other taichous were leading him.

* * *

"This is no fun," Kenpachi grumbled. "How come they get to go?"

He watched the Covert Ops team prepare to leave.

"Are you going, Ken-chan?" Yachiru, his fukutaichou, squealed.

Kenpachi grinned dangerously. "I don't see why not." He got up from his sitting position, a manic gleam in his visible eye. "From what that kid said, I can tell this Fright Knight's strong." Another insane grin lit his features. "I'm going to have some fun."

"Yay!" Yachiru cheered. "Ken-chan's going!"

She hopped on the taichou's back. Kenpachi looked up at the floating castle.

"At least the guy was kind enough to give us a one-way ticket to his lair."

Laughter filled the air as Zaraki Kenpachi prepared for battle.

* * *

"So where are we?" Danny asked as they entered another room. "No. Let me rephrase that. Where are we going?"

"Twelfth division laboratories," Kurotsuchi said before Hitsugaya could answer. "It will be easier there."

"For you, you mean," Danny heard Ichigo mutter. "Maniac."

"You're sure, Kurotsuchi?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"Of course," Kurotsuchi confirmed. He eyed Danny in a way that made him feel uneasy. "In any case, I must also get rid of our little…infestation."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Of course."

'_Why are these guys so darn formal with each other all the time?_' Danny thought sourly.

They arrived at the laboratories in another ten minutes and Kurotsuchi was the one to step in first.

"My, my," the others heard him murmur. "What a mess."

Danny peered in to see knights all over that were completely trashing the place.

"So I take it that those knights aren't for fashion?" Danny said lightly as the others watched in mute astonishment when a knight lifted up two desks at once to let another search under them.

* * *

"How much longer do I have to guard this thing for?" Renji complained. "It's taking ages."

He heard banging and crashing from outside but didn't blink. This was nothing new. The glowing zanpakutou behind him wasn't new either.

"When are they going to figure out that there's one room they haven't trashed yet?" Renji wondered.

No sooner had he said that than a noise from behind made him jump.

'_I'm alone right?_' Renji thought. '_So then…what's behind me?_'

He turned around and flinched at the sight of a knight looking at the glowing zanpakutou on the table as if it were a valuable prize.

"I had to jinx it, didn't I?" Renji sighed as he approached the knight. "Uh, look, bozo, shouldn't you be in a museum?"

The knight merely spared him a glance before picking up the glowing object and inspecting it closely.

"Hey!" Renji said, not being used to being ignored. "I'm talking to you! Look at me when I'm—whoa!" The knight had taken a swing at him with the zanpakutou. "Not good!"

He bent backwards as the knight again took a swipe at him. He was forced to quickly throw himself down on the floor and flip himself over as the knight retaliated by attempting to slice off Renji's legs.

"Watch your aim!" Renji's own zanpakutou gleamed in the dim light of the laboratory. He jumped up to dodge a thrust by the knight and landed lightly on the blade of the weapon the knight was wielding. He jumped straight up, twisted himself over the knight's head, and landed behind the oblivious ghost.

The knight quickly turned around and tried to behead the fukutaichou but was blocked by Zabimaru. Renji followed it up by a kick to the chest and threw the knight back into the wall.

"Gotcha!" Renji's victory was short lived as the knight simply vanished. "Great. Where'd he go now?"

The red-haired shinigami held his zanpakutou at the ready as he tried to figure out where the knight would strike from next. From what he had seen from Fantomu, these ghosts could turn invisible and phase through objects like they weren't there. It was clear that the knight could have done either of those things.

"Where are you?" Renji's head snapped around as he thought he heard something. But looking carefully, he couldn't see anything to have caused it. "Come on."

He noticed too late glowing blade suddenly materializing above him and it was only when he heard the knight's metal feet clank on the floor that he looked up to see the zanpakutou he had been charged with protecting heading straight towards his head. Renji only managed to move to the right several inches when the zanpakutou hit his shoulder, causing a deep slice wound.

"Ow!"

Before Renji could do anything to defend himself from further attacks, he felt something strange take over his whole body. He just saw the door before him open, revealing a familiar masked face and a white-haired teen before darkness overcame his vision and he felt a strange distorting of the space around him.

What he saw next made him wish he'd never gone into the laboratory.

* * *

Kurotsuchi had just opened the door to see Abarai Renji staring at him with a deep wound in his shoulder. Before any of the taichous or the half-ghost could do anything, Renji vanished from sight. His disappearance revealed a knight holding the Soul Shredder in one hand, its blade dripping a crimson red.

"Oh no, he didn't!" Danny cried in dismay.

"He _killed_ him?" Ichigo cried at the same time.

Before anyone could stop him, Danny dove forwards at the knight. The knight promptly turned intangible, letting the furious ghost teen fly straight through him and into a wall. Danny had barely managed to clear the stars from his eyes when he saw the knight fly up and through the ceiling.

"Get back here!" Danny demanded, following the knight in suit.

"Fantomu!" he heard one of the taichous behind him shout. But Danny didn't care. He had eyes only for the escaping knight with the Soul Shredder in his hands.

"You're not going anywhere!" Danny declared, his hands glowing green. He threw a couple of ecto-disks at the flying knight but they were all evaded. "Aaargh." He gritted his teeth in frustration as the next few ecto-beams he shot were also dodged. "Stay still, will you!"

The knight said nothing in reply but flew down at the halfa before Danny could react. The collision sent him flying straight back at the laboratories. The last thing he saw of the knight before he turned intangible to phase through the buildings was him flying at the Fright Knight's castle with the Soul Shredder in hand.

He landed with a loud crash back in the room he had left. The taichous and Ichigo blinked at him, surprised that he had just slipped through the ceiling without a flashy entrance.

Danny groaned before getting up. He put a hand to his head and looked sheepishly at the taichous.

"Looks like things just got worse."

* * *

**What will Kenpachi do? What happened to Renji? (I think we all know that.) What's gonna happen to Danny? And what'll the Fright Knight do once the Soul Shredder falls back into his hands? And what about Sam and Tucker? Keep reading to find out!**


	10. Interrogation

**A big thanks to _ Bored2Deth_ for submitting the hundredth review!  
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**Thanks to _TheRavenQuoth, ShadowFox123, Miriam1, SpartanCommander, Nova Bucker, NarutoPhantom, Bored2Deth, PLC the CD,benihime . chan , Adran06, Garnet Sky, Dragon260,_ and _Piece of Toast_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Interrogation**

* * *

Kenpachi stepped on the threshold before the huge entrance to the castle. The doors loomed above him ominously and he had an insane grin on his face. Silence reigned.

It was all interrupted when…

"Through the window, Ken-chan!" Yachiru squealed excitedly.

"Why would I go through there if the doors are standing right before me?" Kenpachi objected.

"Because that's what he expects you to do!"

"I don't think the guy expects anyone to come up here from the looks of this," Kenpachi observed. "These doors aren't even locked!"

To prove his point, he pushed one open and peered inside the dark interior. He could faintly see the surroundings as green torches were arrayed on the walls and provided light, however dim. It was still green, though. Doors could be seen stretching along the wall and various corridors branched off from the enormous main hall. A huge staircase was evident on the other side and Kenpachi could see nothing that would threaten his safety.

"No guards?" Kenpachi stepped inside, the doors swinging shut behind him with a loud noise as he did so. "This ghost sure is confident."

"It's dark in here," Yachiru said. "And the light is green."

"But that's not what I'm interested in," Kenpachi said. "Where is he?"

"Try that door!" Yachiru suggested, pointing to a door on their right. "Why not?" Kenpachi walked over and tested the door handle to see that it turned easily. He opened the door and peeked inside.

The next second saw Kenpachi jumping aside as a huge battering ram nearly splattered him. It nearly took off his nose as it whooshed by and the taichou immediately shut the door once it retreated.

"That was interesting," he commented.

* * *

"Where did he go?" Hitsugaya demanded. "And what of the knight?"

"Ask the knight where he went!" Danny defended himself.

"What about Renji?" Ichigo clarified for the furious taichou.

"Ah. Him." Danny looked sheepish. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "Uh, do you really wanna know?"

"Yes," Byakuya said as calmly as could be. He didn't seem at all fazed that his fukutaichou had just vanished before his very eyes.

"He was cut by the Soul Shredder," Danny explained. "He's now living his worst fear."

"It didn't shred his soul?" Hitsugaya asked in a more reasonable tone.

"No!" Danny said at once. "Believe me; the actual power of the sword itself doesn't correlate to the name. He's…somewhere. But alive," he added firmly.

"Do you have any idea what you just said?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Er, not really." Danny shrugged. "It makes sense though." '_I think Jazz has been rubbing off on me._'

"That it does," Ichigo muttered. He decided that Fantomu, when he was alive, probably hadn't gotten very good grades.

"Can you get him back?" Hitsugaya queried.

"No," Danny replied. "That's the Fright Knight's thing, not mine."

"Regardless of what just happened," Kurotsuchi said, "we need to address the matter at hand. A dangerous item has just been stolen and a fukutaichou has vanished. You," he said to Danny, "are the only means we have to know our enemy. What are his weaknesses?"

"I said this before but I'll say it again: A pumpkin," Danny repeated. "You need to stick his sword in a pumpkin."

"If you knew that why didn't you say so in the first place?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"Would you have listened?"

"Why suggest handing it over then?" Byakuya intervened calmly. His face remained impassive. "We could have just given you a pumpkin."

"Do they grow here?" Danny shifted his thermos uncomfortably. "I didn't see any."

"Maybe not locally but you can get them at supermarkets," Ichigo said thoughtfully.

"Any others?" Kurotsuchi quizzed.

Danny sighed. "Not that I know of. He does make one mean swordsman though."

"So do we," Hitsugaya said. "But the matter is out of our hands. The Covert Ops team is dealing with it right now. We have other things to ask you."

'_Oh joy,_' Danny couldn't help but think. '_I better think fast and stay on my toes. Sam and Tucker aren't here to help me. It's just me. On my own._' This revelation didn't make him feel any better.

"Why were the Menos Grande targeting you?" was the first thing Hitsugaya asked.

"They were?" Danny appeared confused. "I didn't know. But that _does_ explain why they only attacked once I showed up."

"Is it because of the book?" Kurotsuchi asked the next one.

"Book?" Danny said without thinking.

"Yes. The book." Hitsugaya tried to keep his patience.

"Oh. _That_ book." Danny now looked extremely uncomfortable. He tried to cover up for his slip. "I thought you meant another one."

"So? Were they after it?" The taichous waited expectantly.

"Maybe. I don't really know," Danny said. "Sorry. The book vanished, remember?"

"To where?" It was Byakuya.

"I don't know." Danny tried not to sound too impatient. "It _disappeared._" He waved his arms around. "You know. Poof? Into thin air? It vanished." He finished with a vague gesture and hoped he hadn't laid it on too thick.

"Don't jest."

Evidently, he had. This was gonna be tough to cover up.

"I'm not," Danny insisted. "I really don't know where it is." '_With good reasons. The stupid thing doesn't exist._'

"A guess?" Ichigo jumped in. He raised an eyebrow at the looks glanced his way. "What? Am I not allowed to ask questions?"

Danny repressed a small chuckle.

"A guess?" Hitsugaya repeated the same thing Ichigo had just said. This earned him a glare from the orange-haired substitute shinigami.

Danny rolled his eyes upward. These guys were really obnoxious. He decided to play a prank on them.

"Fine. You got me. I fried it." Danny hid a grin at the taichous' and Ichigo's shocked expressions.

"With what?" Ichigo finally said.

'_Must I spell everything out for them?_' "With my scorching good looks. What else?" Danny said sarcastically.

Ichigo blinked while the others looked dumbfounded.

Danny smacked his forehead in exasperation. "I didn't _do_ anything. The book could be in heaven for all I know."

"Is it?" Hitsugaya asked.

"It was a figure of speech," Danny replied, trying not to appear overly frustrated. He couldn't resist another jab. "You guys aren't very familiar with jokes, are you?"

Ichigo wished he had a camera so he could capture the expressions on the taichous' faces. This kid was good with the banter.

"Anything else you want to know?" Danny put his hands up. "I'm open."

"Why are ghosts like you coming here?" Byakuya inquired. "And why do you have a relationship with two mortals?"

"You make it sound like a crime," Danny complained. "I don't see what the big deal is with being friends with Sam and Tucker. And Danny," he added as an afterthought.

Ichigo furrowed his brow in confusion. He had seemed to add Danny as an afterthought. But why? They were all friends so why add him as if he wasn't as important? According to what Y-Sam had said, Fantomu actually carried traits from Sh-Danny.

"You're dead and they're alive," Hitsugaya explained as if he would to a child. "It's not right. You don't belong there."

"You're friends with Ichigo and he's alive," Danny pointed out.

"He's got a point," Ichigo admitted.

"He's different," Hitsugaya said.

"How?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "As far as I can tell, you're also dead and Ichigo's alive. I've seen him."

"How?" Ichigo couldn't remember a white-haired boy hanging out with him when he wasn't in shinigami garb.

Danny mentally smacked himself, berating himself for letting that slip. "Uh, I saw you hanging out with my friends during school?" he made up, hoping it sounded convincing.

'_That sounded more like a question than an answer,_' Ichigo mused. But he decided to let it slide.

"You still haven't answered my first question," Byakuya pointed out patiently.

"Oh. Right," Danny said, flustered. "Er…" He recalled what Byakuya had asked earlier. "I can't say why the ghosts are coming here. Haven't had this problem for a while."

"How long ago was this invasion of yours in America?" Hitsugaya queried. "Do you mean to say that these ghosts haven't attacked you recently or they stopped years ago and are just now picking up again?"

'_Darn. He's bright._' Danny bit his lip, thinking fast. '_Can't tell them I'm from a different dimension. They'll think I'm crazy and smack me in an asylum for half-ghost freaks. Hang on. They don't know I'm half-ghost. Oh well. They'll still stick me in an asylum for insane ghosts. Or spirits._' Aloud he said, "The former. The incident with the ghosts occurred recently."

"I didn't see it on the news," Ichigo said. "Surely something that big would have been broadcast worldwide."

'_Why didn't I think of that?_' "They…covered it up," Danny said weakly, hoping it sounded convincing. He continued hastily, "There were no news crews around during the actual event and afterwards, the government deemed it unsafe to release to the general public." '_Please believe me, please believe me._'

Ichigo seemed to buy it and Danny breathed a mental sigh of relief. That had been too close for comfort. Now he just had to tell Sam and Tucker what happened.

"Sit," Kurotsuchi said suddenly.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at him, confused.

"It's easier than thinking on your feet," Kurotsuchi said.

'_Isn't it the opposite?_' Danny thought.

"The chairs won't attack us, will they?" Ichigo asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Should they?" Kurotsuchi countered. "I honestly don't know why you have so little faith in me."

Ichigo muttered something that sounded like "Uryuu told me" but Danny couldn't be sure.

He did, however, sit down. After some thought, Danny sat down, too. He tried sitting with the thermos at first but found it too uncomfortable. Reluctantly, he removed it and set it on the table.

He didn't notice the twelfth division taichou eyeing it greedily. Someone else did, though.

Kurosaki Ichigo gulped and knew that look didn't bode well at all.

* * *

"Is this the place?" Sam asked.

The two were standing by a yellow line that marked off a miniature crater. So far, the only people around them had been curious pedestrians but the two were wary of invisible eyes now that they knew about shinigamis.

"Judging by the fact that there's a crater right before us and my PDA says that something crashed into here not too long ago, I should say so," Tucker answered, looking from his PDA to the crater and back again. "No one saw who did it but some claim to have seen a black figure fly out of it. There was also a green dome," Tucker added, confirming what Skulker had seen.

"Danny," Sam said simply. She looked around but couldn't spot their raven-haired friend. "I hope he's all right."

"He should be," Tucker said encouragingly. "Even Skulker said he saw him. But then, he _is_ a ghost. Still, he shouldn't lie about something like that," he muttered.

"Uh-oh," Sam said suddenly said. She looked nervous.

"What?" Tucker couldn't see what had freaked her out.

"Don't look now but I think Ichigo's friends are here," Sam whispered hurriedly. "Quick, act innocent and inconspicuous."

Tucker stuffed his hands and PDA into his pockets and started whistling innocently. It was horribly off-tune—not to mention loud—and he earned himself several irritated glares from surrounding people.

"Idiot," Sam muttered. She sighed when she saw one of Ichigo's friends notice them. "So much for going unnoticed. You can shut up now, Tucker." She didn't bother using his fake name as no one was paying attention them, two innocent teenagers.

"Didn't expect to find you here," the girl—Orihime—said jovially. "But then, it is your friend, right?"

Sam glared at her. "Who told you that?"

"So not incriminating," Tucker muttered sarcastically.

"Kurosaki might have let a few things slip," the one with the glasses—Uryuu, Tucker remembered his name was—admitted. "I think your friend is fine."

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted him," Sam said, frowning. "Now our cover is blown."

"We're Kurosaki-kun's friends," Orihime said comfortingly, "and well versed in keeping secrets. Kurosaki-kun knew he could trust us."

"Exactly," Uryuu added.

"Where's Shikyo?" Chad asked. "Isn't he normally with you?"

"He's at our apartment," Sam fibbed without missing a beat.

"He wasn't in class either," Uryuu recalled.

"He wasn't feeling well and left," Sam lied. Tucker couldn't believe how fast she was making up those lies. It was as if all those months of ghost fighting in Amity Park had been training for her.

"Coincidentally around the same time those Menos Grande showed up," Uryuu murmured just loud enough for them to hear.

"Menos what?" Tucker looked completely lost.

"Menos Grande," Uryuu explained. "It's a hollow also known as a Gillian." He pushed his glasses up. "Mind explaining why your friend was absent before those things showed up and during the attack?"

"He wasn't feeling well," Sam repeated crossly. It's just a coincidence. Just like," she continued nonchalantly, "the fact you're here after school, too."

"We were curious," Orihime said. "Ichigo didn't come back either."

"He missed a math test," Chad supplied.

"That means D-Shikyo did, too," Tucker said.

"We know your real names," Uryuu said. "There's no need to pretend anymore."

"That's comforting," Sam said sarcastically. "Because with our luck, someone else from school won't be here and listen to us calling each other different names."

"Like who?" Orihime asked, not getting the drift.

"Like—" Sam started.

"Hellooo!" an annoying hyperactive voice whined. The maker draped an arm around an irritated Uryuu, revealing himself to be Keigo.

"Like him," Sam finished, sighing. '_I really hate that guy._'

"I get it!" Tucker said brightly. His face then fell into a confused look. "Who're you again?"

"Asano Keigo!" Keigo introduced himself again cheerfully. "Pleasure to meet you, Yori!"

"Riiight." Tucker appeared apprehensive and actually took a step back to keep a fair distance between himself and the hyperactive teenager. "Pleasure to meet you, too. I think."

"So what ya doing?" Keigo asked, blissfully unaware of the fact there was a quietly stewing Goth girl on his case.

"We _were_ talking until someone decided to butt in," Sam said through gritted teeth.

"Who did?"

Sam face-palmed and Tucker couldn't believe that someone could be so dense. And he thought that Danny had been clueless.

"You," Uryuu said bluntly. "Do you mind getting off me? I need my space."

"I thought you said we were best buds!" Keigo persisted. He didn't remove his arm.

Uryuu's eyebrow twitched. "That was then. Now kindly remove yourself or I shall do so myself."

Tucker blinked at the ice in his tone. '_Man, and I thought Sam was scary._' He made a mental note to avoid getting on Uryuu's bad side.

"Hey! Not my fault you don't like being touched!" Keigo complained. But he did remove his arm. "So—"

"So kindly remove yourself from my sight before I go crazy!" Sam threatened.

"If I were you, dude, I'd listen," Tucker said helpfully. "She has a nasty temper."

"But—" Keigo began to object.

"MOVE!" Sam yelled. She earned herself several strange stares but didn't seem to care.

Keigo hastily obliged and disappeared. Something in Sam's eyes had told him not to mess with her.

"What was the matter with him?" Orihime inquired.

"He stands for everything I don't. He's peppy, cheerful, happy, pink, peppy…" Sam started ranting.

"You said 'peppy' twice," Tucker pointed out. "And most of those were synonyms."

"He's pink?" Uryuu asked. "Doesn't look pink to me."

"He's doubly peppy," Sam explained. "And he wears white. Goths don't."

"I wear white," Uryuu said.

"He _acts_ pink," Sam said. "You don't."

"I like pink," Orihime said defensively.

Sam gazed at her outfit with slightly veiled disgust. "Which is why you and I aren't friends."

"That was mean, Sam," Tucker muttered, expecting to see Orihime tear up. She seemed to be that kind of girl.

Instead, Orihime laughed."Doesn't really matter." She added in a low whisper, "Shinigamis wear black."

Sam brightened up. "That so."

Tucker started to get edgy. He could feel something in the air.

"Let's go, Yabun," he suggested. "Shikyo's waiting." '_And we need to look for him._'

"Right," Sam agreed, reading the hidden message in his words. "Bye."

Uryuu stopped them. "Are you looking for your ghost friend? I can't make any promises but he's probably in Soul Society being interrogated. It's what they do." He had a note of bitterness in his voice.

Sam sighed. "Thanks. Good luck with that crazy, pink lunatic."

"He's not pink," Orihime objected.

"Whatever." Sam flicked her wrist in a goodbye gesture. "Later." She grabbed Tucker and started dragging him after her.

"Hang on," Tucker whispered to her. "I really wanted to leave because I felt something strange. Don't you feel it?"

Sam paused for a moment, a look of concentration on her face.

"You're right," she said slowly. "What is it though?"

"I don't know." Tucker shrugged. "But maybe it has to do with the ghost activities going on here."

"It's not like this in Amity Park," Sam countered. "Even if it is a different dimension, ghostly activities should still leave the same feeling: No feeling at all. Besides property damage," she added.

"But still…" Tucker trailed off. "Man, it's weird without Danny here."

"You said it." Sam looked worried. "If he's been taken in, I hope he knows what he's doing."

Before Tucker could reply, a red flash of light in a nearby alley silenced him and anything he might've said. Both teens looked at each other and sped to the sight.

What they saw made their jaws drop.

* * *

"Where are you from?"

Danny blinked at the question. Obviously they had run out of good questions to ask him if they were interrogating him about his origins. He figured it couldn't hurt to tell them a half-truth.

"America," he replied.

"And there are ghosts there?" Byakuya asked.

"I guess," Danny said. "_I'm_ a ghost, right? There are plenty of other ghosts in America, too. Especially after the whole book incident happened. I can't say much for what happened before then as I wasn't there."

"Have you ever heard of shinigamis before?" Hitsugaya asked.

"What is your anatomy composed of?" Kurotsuchi asked at the same time.

"Huh?" Danny stared at the masked taichou. "Did you just ask me about my anatomy?"

"I figured," Ichigo muttered.

"Wait." Danny leaned over to Ichigo. "You _knew_ this guy was going to ask me these questions?"

"Well, not these questions exactly but something like it." Ichigo was grinning nervously. "He's a scientist."

"Your anatomy?" Kurotsuchi prompted.

"I'm a ghost." Danny shrugged. "I don't know what my anatomy is composed of. I never really paid attention in classes anyway."

"You go to classes?" Hitsugaya seized that piece of information.

Danny winced. He hadn't meant to let that slide. "Uh, a bit. Sometimes my friends let me tag along. No one sees me."

"Have you heard of shinigamis before?" Byakuya inquired.

"I come from a dimension from within the book where I have heard of shinis!" Danny said dramatically, using the Box Ghost's nickname for the spirits. "Well, _no._ I come from somewhere different, remember? My friends aren't much help either as they can't see you."

"What about Shikyo?" Ichigo jumped in. "He sees us. I should know as I…" he trailed off, realizing that the fact he was stalking them should be kept secret.

"Yeah?" Danny prodded. "What about Shikyo?"

"I was trailing them," Ichigo continued reluctantly, seeing that the ghost boy wasn't going to drop the matter. "Shikyo sensed me—which I didn't even know was possible—and I think he saw me."

Danny shrugged, trying to keep his face impassive. So he _had_ been trailing them! Well, he already knew that but hearing it from Ichigo's mouth made it seem more corporeal.

"I don't know," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I've never asked and Shikyo's never elaborated. It's probably a natural part of his life. Besides, before Japan I never even knew there were shinigamis. The idea never crossed my mind."

"Why is the kid named 'Shikyo' anyway?" Kurotsuchi queried.

"What's wrong with the name?" Danny had a sneaking suspicion that it didn't bode well.

"Well, it's not exactly a common name," Ichigo said, looking rather uncomfortable. "You don't really know, do you?"

"Should I?" Danny countered. "I'm not Japanese and I don't know the l—customs," he mended hurriedly. He obviously knew the language as he was speaking with them. This was getting weird.

"It's not a custom," Ichigo said for the taichous. "It's the meaning of the name."

"What does it mean?"

"It means…" Ichigo stopped before continuing, "It means 'death'."

* * *

"This is getting really annoying." Kenpachi jumped aside as yet another door wielded its offensive weaponry against its intruder. The spears the depths of the room within shot out didn't cease until Kenpachi managed to slam the door shut. "How many more of these stupid traps are there?"

"Try the stairs, Ken-chan!" Yachiru suggested, not at all fazed from the near brush with death that the two had faced yet again.

"That's the first good idea I've heard for a while," Kenpachi commented, taking the stairs.

"Ooh! Now try that door!" Yachiru pointed to a door that had some fancy decorations on it.

"This better not have anything stupid behind it." Kenpachi reached for the door handle but was stopped by an obnoxious voice.

"You didn't knock!"

"What?" Kenpachi stared at the door, because that was where the voice had come from.

"You didn't knock!" the door said again.

"Why the hell do I need to knock?" Kenpachi scowled. This was a _door_. He must be losing it if he was back talking to a door of all things."I can just twist you!" Oh yeah. He had lost it.

"Knock," the door insisted. "I'm locked."

"Please don't tell me the ghost is behind you." Kenpachi was getting irritated.

"He might be," was the smug reply.

"Knock, Ken-chan!" Yachiru encouraged him. But then, she encouraged everything.

Grudgingly, Kenpachi knocked. Twice.

"Who's there?" was the instant response.

"You know full well who's here!" Kenpachi roared.

"Now, now," the door scolded him gently. "That's not right. Be fun, will you?"

"It's a game!" Yachiru said suddenly. She put up a hand excitedly. "Yachiru's here!"

"So that means…" There several indistinguishable murmurs. Then the door burst out, "Aw crud. I've forgotten the rest!"

Kenpachi just barely refrained himself from knocking down the door then and there.

"Just open before I knock you down myself!" he threatened. He knocked his zanpakutou against the door to prove his point.

The door recovered quickly. "Have fun!" it wished them cheerily before swinging open.

"What for?" Kenpachi barely had time to peer in before several objects pelted him in the face. Yachiru had hidden.

A loud whistle barraged his senses next and Kenpachi had barely managed to get the gunk out of his eyes only to be blinded with bright flashes of light. The next thing he knew a shower of confetti fell on his hair and gave him a new makeover.

"Congrats!" No more was said as Kenpachi hurriedly slammed the door shut.

"Is the party over?" Yachiru peeked over her taichou's broad shoulder.

The silence was then broken by Kenpachi's groans. "Ugh! Cake!"

* * *

"Wh-what? It means what?" Danny blinked blankly. He had not just heard what he did, did he?

"It means 'death'," Ichigo repeated.

" 'Death'?" Danny allowed that to sink in. "That explains a few things."

"Like what?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Nothing," Danny answered. '_I now have a bone to pick with Sam. Why did she pick that name?_'

"So why did the government give him that name?" Ichigo inquired.

"The government?" Danny repeated blankly.

"You know, the American government?" Ichigo stared at him, suspicion written on his face.

The term registered in Danny's brain. "Oh! Sorry. Brain freeze." He chuckled weakly. "I honestly have no clue. Ask S-the government." '_Like I will,_' he added resolutely in his mind.

"What kind of threats are we dealing with here?" Byakuya peered down his nose. "You _are_ visible to mortals. Even mortals that are not spiritually sensitive."

"Okay. One: No clue what 'spiritually sensitive' means. And two: You're dealing with ghosts," Danny replied.

"Mortals can't see us," Hitsugaya explained, "but they can see you. There's a reason for this."

"Some experiments would be helpful," Kurotsuchi added.

"No experiments," Danny said hastily. "I'm not a lab rat and I definitely don't want to be torn apart molecule by molecule."

"Not a bad idea," Kurotsuchi mused much to Danny's horror.

"I…can't help you there," Danny said hesitantly, eyeing Kurotsuchi apprehensively, "but I certainly won't become an experiment so you can find out."

"You may not have a choice," Byakuya said coldly.

"Whoa, whoa," Ichigo said, leaning forward. "Hold on. You can't make Fantomu become a lab rat. He's got feelings, too."

"Who asked you, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya fixed him with his steely glare.

"No one did," Ichigo admitted, "but you still can't force Fantomu. Even if he is a ghost, he's a person, too."

"Hey, thanks," Danny murmured to Ichigo so only he could hear. "Maybe they'll listen to you."

Before the taichous could find a suitable retort, a loud blaring alarm went off.

"Wah!" Danny jumped and accidentally phased through his seat in his shock. He peered over the table. "What's going on?"

"Another alarm," Hitsugaya said, already on his feet. "It looks like there's another spike of spiritual energy in Karakura Town."

"We'll be needed," Byakuya said, heading to the door. "You're coming, too, Fantomu."

"Why?" A reluctant Danny was prodded by Hitsugaya.

"Your specialty," was the short reply from the white-haired taichou.

"Right." Danny left the room, followed by Ichigo.

He hadn't noticed that he had left the Fenton Thermos behind on the table. Kurotsuchi was also there, a sick grin on his face as he scrutinized the device.

"Perfect."

* * *

**Don't ask about the "knock, knock" joke. It just struck me and I had to put it in. _Bleach_ does have funny scenes involving Kenpachi so just take that as one. And seriously, I have _no_ idea how the joke ends. **

**If you think it's OOC for Danny to leave the thermos, don't forget that he was being hassled by the shinigamis, had a blaring alarm going off around him, _and_ was being pushed by Hitsugaya to hurry up. I think that merits him forgetting. Besides, he _has_ to forget it for the…okay, I'm not telling you. You'll have to wait and see. **

**On another note, you finally know what "Shikyo" means! Were you surprised? Don't lie. Raise your hands if you were. I know one person who already knew as I gave him/her a link to find out but unless you checked it up yourself, you probably don't know. **

**REVIEW PLEASE! (Wow, that's a long author's note.)**


	11. Adventures

**Just thought I'd mention that this story is in four C2s! Thanks a ton! So right now, I'm almost finishing my other **_**Danny Phantom**_** story but this one…I can't see when it's going to end. I just hope you guys will hang on until the finish. So…is everyone still there? Sorry for the length of this chapter; I know it's ridiculously short.**

**I would like to thank _SpartanCommander_ for giving me the ideas for the traps in the doors. You've been a big help. Thank you!**

**Thanks to _TheRavenQuoth, Dragon260, Piece of Toast, Nova Bucker, SpartanCommander, ShadowFox123, NarutoPhantom, Bored2Deth_, and _mimifoxlove_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: See that little thing in capital letters? If you can read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. It involves something beginning with a "d" and ending with a "p" (and don't forget the cleaner! It smells so good compared to diarrhea). You figure it out.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Adventures**

* * *

"Sire, I have returned."

The Fright Knight stepped out of the shadows, looking at the knight that had just announced his presence.

"Did you find it?" the Fright Knight asked unnecessarily. He had seen the Soul Shredder in the knight's hands.

"Yes, sire." The knight took slow, respectful steps forward.

The Fright Knight stood still as the knight before him got down on one knee and offered the sword. Slowly, the Fright Knight held out his hand and took the Soul Shredder, disregarding the kneeling knight.

"Sire!" another knight shouted, running into the room. "Someone has intruded into the castle!"

"Where is he?"

"On the first floor. What would you have us do?" the knight responded.

"Let us wait." The Fright Knight's eyes gleamed. "He has yet to reach our floor. Who knows? Perhaps he will never reach our floor after all."

"Yes, sire," the knight said respectfully.

With that, the Fright Knight turned, his eyes narrowing. "We have a score to settle…Nai Samurai."

* * *

The two teens couldn't believe what they were seeing. Before them was a horde of ghosts. And not just any ghosts. It was Walker and his goons.

Sam found her voice first. "How'd he get here?"

"Why is he here?" Tucker asked after her.

Sam eyed him for a second. "How would we know that?"

"Uh, I don't know." Tucker looked sheepish. "Spur of the moment question."

"Where am I?" The sound of Walker's voice redirected their attention. The warden caught sight of them and his eyes narrowed. "Well, well. Look who's here. It's the punk's friends. Where is he?" His tone was menacing.

"Who? Danny?" Tucker said without thinking. "No idea. Take a rain check."

Sam glared at him. "Did you have to tell him that?"

"I don't see why not," Tucker defended himself.

"No matter," Walker said, grinning. "I'll find him myself."

"NO!" the teens shouted.

Walker raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Are you hiding something from me?"

"You see," Sam picked her words carefully, "the people here don't act kindly towards ghosts."

Walker smirked. "When did you figure that out? Just now?"

"No. I mean they _really_ don't act kindly towards ghosts," Sam clarified.

Tucker sighed and said flatly, "She's saying they've never seen a ghost before." Sam shot him a death glare.

"Are you joking with me?" Walker sneered. "Ghosts attack here all the time."

"Yeah but it's not _here,_" Tucker said cryptically before Sam could say anything.

"Perhaps we should just throw them in jail," Walker's second-in-command, Bullet, suggested.

"We didn't break any rules!" Tucker immediately protested. "Besides, I'm a minor! Just because I pirated the newest _Doom_ version doesn't mean—ow!" Sam had slapped him in the head to shut him up.

"Do me a favor and shut up, will you?" she asked. "You're only incriminating yourself."

"Talking in riddles is against the rules," Walker said finally.

"Since when?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Since now." Walker pulled out a book and wrote something in it. He then showed them what he had just written. "Read it and weep."

"No offense, dude," Tucker remarked, "but that sounds like something Danny would say. You need new lines."

Now it was Walker's turn to shoot him a glare. "Are you going to explain or not?"

"OK." Tucker put his hands up. "Be my guest, Sam?" he asked the Goth girl.

"Pussy," Sam muttered. But she did turn to Walker. "You've never attacked this place. You attack Amity Park."

"This _is_ Amity Park," Walker said.

"No. It isn't," Sam said. "This is Karakura Town, a town in Japan. It's across a _very_ big ocean," she added for emphasis.

"How did we get here then?" Walker didn't seem to believe them. "Don't lie to me."

"Sure." Sam rolled her eyes. "It's against the rules. But anyway," she went on, "we should know because we've been here a while. No one here has ever set eyes on a ghost like you until recently."

"A ghost like me?" Walker smirked.

"Not a warden!" Sam cried, exasperated. "A ghost from the Ghost Zone!"

"We're all from the Ghost Zone," Bullet said harshly. "Stop speaking in riddles, girl, and make your point."

"There are different types of ghosts here," Tucker answered. "We can't see them but you can."

"I think they're called hollows," Sam added.

"I think we just found our rule-breakers then," Walker said, grinning.

Tucker looked alarmed. "Who?"

"We didn't do anything!" Sam protested indignantly.

Walker's grin had vanished. It was replaced by a grim look. "Not you. The thing behind you."

* * *

"We need to stay quiet and be quick," the masked man told his companions. "Surprise is our element. Don't waste it."

"Uh, but, sir," another masked man objected, "aren't we just supposed to run in, check the place out, and run back out?"

"OK. No attacking," the first man corrected himself. "Surprise is our element to seeing what the guy has in here."

The Covert Ops team Soul Society had sent out was now sitting on the floating castle's turf. They were just debating their course of action.

"Everyone got it?" Covert Ops #1, the leader, affirmed. "Good. Let's move out." He flicked a finger and they vanished.

A short time later, they all met at a window.

"It's open," Covert Ops #2, a random guy, said.

"Everyone in," Covert Ops #1 ordered.

They convened inside the eerily lit building.

"Pick a floor and investigate," the leader said in a low voice. "Don't attract attention."

With that said, the team of five split up, each heading into a different direction. There was complete silence for the next ten minutes.

Then…

"AAAARGH!"

The loud cry was followed by what sounded like a stampeding herd. It looked like the Covert Ops team had discovered the traps.

* * *

"We've been this way before, haven't we?" Kenpachi complained, entering another enormous room. This one was apparently the dining room but even here he could see doors on the wall. There were only two archways. One was where he had entered and the other led to a different room.

"'Course not, Ken-chan!" Yachiru said cheerfully. She pointed to another door next to the other archway. "Try that one next!"

"Something tells me I'll regret this," Kenpachi muttered, heading to the door. "This better not be another talking door." He pushed the door open and was met by darkness. He couldn't see anything and was just about to close the door when he heard something. It sounded like slithering and, frowning, he tried to figure out what it could be.

"What's that sound, Ken-chan?" Yachiru asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I'm trying to figure that out," Kenpachi admitted, listening closely.

The sound came closer and still Kenpachi couldn't see anything. He was just about to shut the door again when something slimy wrapped around his wrist. Kenpachi glanced downwards to see a tentacle waving lazily at him. It was also preventing him from closing the door.

"What the hell is this?" Kenpachi grunted, attempting to pry it off. His efforts only served to make it cling tighter.

"Ken-chan?" Yachiru said softly, looking straight ahead.

Kenpachi didn't deviate from his attempts. "What?"

"Look," Yachiru said in a low voice, pointing into the room.

Impatiently, he looked. His visible eye widened slightly at the sight. Long, purple tentacles were waving at him. He didn't even notice that one of them had snuck up on him until it grabbed his ankle. Before he could react, more tentacles wrapped around him and his fukutaichou.

Kenpachi struggled in vain, trying to break free. The last thing he saw was a writhing mass of _something_ in the room before the tentacles pulled him in completely and the door slammed shut.

* * *

Nemu, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's fukutaichou and daughter, was hurrying through the ransacked twelfth division's laboratories. Her taichou had summoned her. For what she didn't know but he had sounded so eager that she was sure it was important.

In another few seconds she had arrived and knocked.

"Ah. Nemu?" came the instant reply. "Took you long enough! Get in here!"

Nemu obediently opened the door and stood before her superior. "Yes, taichou?"

"You are aware of the recent developments, correct?" Kurotsuchi inquired.

"Yes, sir."

"In that case, you know of the spirit Fantomu," Kurotsuchi continued. "He was here earlier being interrogated. He let loose some information but not much. He _did_, however, leave this." Kurotsuchi gestured to a soup thermos on the table behind him. "I want experiments run on it."

"Is it not a soup can?" Nemu queried, bemused.

"Of course not, you stupid girl!" Kurotsuchi growled. "Fantomu was carrying it, meaning it is of importance to him! And that means it is also of importance to us!"

"Yes, sir," Nemu said, lowering her eyes. "Do I open it?"

"First run some tests," Kurotsuchi ordered. "Then, if it's absolutely necessary, open it. But do so with caution."

"Yes, sir." Nemu nodded to show her understanding. "And you?"

"I have a matter of urgent importance to attend to," Kurotsuchi responded. "Surely you should know that."

He swept by her, cloak billowing "Get started immediately."

"Yes," Nemu said just as the door closed in her face.

She then turned and studied the odd device. Finding nothing noticeable with her eyes, she proceeded to hook it up to various devices.

Her taichou wouldn't be happy if she didn't do it.

* * *

"AAAAARGH!" A masked man sprinted by, chased by green elephants with various grotesque mutations. They all seemed to be furious.

The Covert Ops guy ducked into a corridor and hid. The elephants stampeded past, raining dust down on him. Once the trembling had subsided, he poked a head out and then the rest of his body. He breathed a sigh of relief but then cringed on thinking about their mission. He was sure he had ruined it now.

"Maybe I should sneak out and pretend this never happened," he muttered, going the opposite direction the elephants had taken. "But I'll get caught. So that's a 'no' then."

The man sighed again and resolved to keep exploring. He reached for another door and opened it warily, glimpsing inside. Only to retreat hurriedly, screaming once more.

He dashed away, being chased by a monstrous figure that had squeezed through the door somehow. Its eyes were purple and it was growling.

"AAAAARGH!" The man pelted up a staircase and past a companion of his.

The second man stared after him. "What's up?" he yelled at him.

"DRAAAGOOON!" was the fading scream.

"Riiight." The man nodded slowly, unaware of an approaching shadow. "We face hollows and he's scared of mythological dragons?"

"Something huge behind him snorted fire. Slowly, he turned around, eyes widening at the huge dragon before him. Its lips curled lazily, grinning. Smoke poured from its nostrils and its scales were pitch black.

"So that's a dragon." The man stared stupidly at it before it clicked in. "D-dragon! AAAARGH!" He sprinted away, too, the dragon hot on his tail.

Needless to say, it was not a good day for the Covert Ops division in the Fright Knight's castle.

* * *

It was a rather jovial atmosphere in the main room. Knights were scattered around sparring, comparing battle wounds (some of them which were rather grotesque I might add), some were actually having a _food_ fight, and others were simply lounging about. The only one with a composed and serene air was the Fright Knight and even he was examining his Soul Shredder.

"The status?" he called out to a nearby knight.

He had been cleaning his mace, bored, and now snapped to attention. "One or both teams, sire?"

"Both," the Fright Knight said after a moment's thought.

"One of the two parties has been captured by a trap," the knight reported. "The second party is still active but they have encountered several of our more…angry traps."

"How close are they to our floor?" the Fright Knight asked.

"The latter is still on the first but the former was actually on our second floor before falling back once more to the first. He faced the 'knock, knock' trap."

"And didn't run?"

"No." The knight's mace scratched the floor.

"Oh well. Maybe he'll face the _other_ door," the Fright Knight mused.

The knight was surprised. "You think he will escape the trap?"

"Why not?" The Fright Knight shrugged. "He seems entertaining."

"The girl does anyway," the knight muttered.

The Fright Knight seemed to not hear him. "What of the Ghost Zone?"

"The Ghost Zone?" The knight was taken aback.

"Yes. The Ghost Zone," the Fright Knight repeated impatiently. "What is the status there? Where is Nai Samurai?"

"Er…" The knight seemed uncomfortable. "Sire, we can't reach the Ghost Zone."

"And what do you mean by that?" The Fright Knight was calm.

"We can't reach it," the knight said again. "It's like it doesn't exist. The only other place we reach is what these people call Karakura Town."

"Interesting." The Fright Knight's eyes gleamed. "So there has been no sign of it?"

The knight shook his head.

"And no sign of Nai Samurai either then." It was statement; not a question.

"No, sire," the knight confirmed.

"Interesting," the Fright Knight repeated.

"And what of the intruders?"

"Let's see how far they get," the Fright Knight said. If one could've seen his face, they would've seen his grin. "It will be very entertaining."

* * *

Zaraki Kenpachi slammed the door shut after him. He wrenched off the remains of a purple tentacle that insisted on clinging to him and threw it to the stone floor, stepping on it with vicious pleasure.

"Well that was a waste of time," Kenpachi announced. "Is that the best they could come up with?"

"Groooss!" Yachiru popped up over his head and brushed off some tendrils that were in her pink hair. "Where to next, Ken-chan?"

"Not there anyway," Kenpachi said, pointing to the door they had just exited. "Maybe the staircase in that other room."

"Exactly as I thought!" Yachiru chirped cheerfully.

As Kenpachi made his way to the staircase, he was stopped by quaking beneath his feet. Kenpachi turned his head to the left and saw a horde of stampeding elephants running his way.

With plenty of time at his side, he stepped back into the previous room and waited them out.

"I wonder how they got in here," he remarked once they had passed by.

"Maybe he has a zoo!" Yachiru guessed.

"With green animals?" The taichou went up the stairs. "Hardly. The Covert Ops are probably here and opening doors."

He took a left at the top and started examining doors. Most of them he glossed over but there were others he spent more time over before abandoning.

"Try that door next, Ken-chan!" Yachiru suggested, pointing to one. It was black, had a heavy iron handle, and had bones outlined in the paneling.

"This one seems interesting," Kenpachi admitted, running a hand over one of the bone designs. "Let's see what it hides."

Without any hesitation, he pushed the door open and peered inside. Unlike the other rooms, this one was lighted up by blue torches. He could see an arena with shapes at the bottom. Curious, Kenpachi stepped inside and down to the arena.

As soon as he put a foot into the arena, the shapes became discernible and the door slammed shut.

"Typical," he murmured, squinting to closer inspect the masses. He grinned on recognizing them. "Heh. This oughta be good."

The piles were bones. Clean, white bones from unknown animals were scattered about. Above each pile was a blue torch, lighting each pile up.

"What's gonna happen?" Yachiru wondered.

Kenpachi didn't reply but watched as the torches emitted a beam at each of their piles. Slowly, the bones started rattling and circling in the air. Each one of the piles did this until figures formed and were grinning at the two shinigamis. There were leopards, tigers, some that looked horses, and others that had a wing or two wings with dragon similarities. It was a motley group of skeletons.

"Zombies?" Kenpachi held out his zanpakutou. "Real original of the guy."

"Aren't they skeletons?" Yachiru asked.

"Same thing. These are alive as they can be."

The various skeletons started cackling. Their teeth clattered together and their bones shook, not making a very pleasant image.

"Heh." Kenpachi's famous grin spread across his face. "This'll be interesting."

* * *

**EDIT (02/23/10):** I got reviews about how skeletons and zombies aren't the same thing. Kenpachi doesn't really care, though, so... (shrugs) Review?


	12. Tricky Developments

**I posted another story on my account. If you're interested in it, it's called **_**Ghostly Love**_** (stupid underline won't work!), a continuation of "Star Shot #53" by **_**Cordria**_**. The details are on my account.**

**Thanks to _TheRavenQuoth, ShadowFox123, Miriam1, SpartanCommander, PLC The CD, NarutoPhantom, Adriannrod Svit-Kona Sama, Bored2Deth, Garnet Sky, Piece of Toast, Adran06, Pawz4thought, mimifoxlove, GhostKing666,_ and _bongobum_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own **_**Danny Phantom**_**. ****I don't own **_**Bleach**_** either!**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Tricky Developments**

* * *

"What's going on?" Danny asked the instant they were in a room filled with computers.

"I told you, Fantomu, there's been a large spike in spiritual energy," Hitsugaya repeated, evidently annoyed.

"That wasn't my question. I was wondering about all these weird monitors." Danny gestured about.

Hitsugaya shared a glance with Byakuya.

The black-haired taichou responded, "They're for measuring energy. Kurosaki, you explain."

Ichigo started with indignation. "Why should _I_ do that? You guys are the experts here, not me! I don't even understand this garbage!"

As Ichigo continued his rant, Danny tuned the noise out and watched Hitsugaya. The boy was frowning at something on the screen and Byakuya also seemed oddly disconcerted—weird considering how he hadn't batted an eyelash at his fukutaichou's disappearance.

"What's wrong?" Danny inquired, cutting Ichigo off mid-rant.

"There are two different signatures—two different energies," Hitsugaya murmured, still watching the screen flicker from one reading to the next.

"What's that mean?" Ichigo had caught on quickly.

Hitsugaya snapped his eyes from the screen to look elsewhere. "Normally we wouldn't know but with all the recent developments, it's a pretty good bet that there are two different spirits out there." His eyes flickered to Danny before resuming, "Your kind, Fantomu, and the hollows."

"How many?" Ichigo scanned the screen, trying to make sense of it; it was all garbled nonsense to him and he soon gave up.

"Hey, where's Dr. Jekyll?" Danny asked suddenly, catching everyone off-guard with the strangeness of the inquiry.

"Dr. who?" Hitsugaya repeated, confused.

"That freaky guy with the mask."

"Around," Byakuya said.

"My question," Ichigo hinted before the situation with "Dr. Jekyll" could continue.

Hitsugaya turned around to face them. "There's only two hollows from what I can read; the…'ghosts' "—he hesitated before using the word—"I'm not too sure about. The scanner wasn't made for that kind of signature."

"Well," a brisk voice interrupted them, "I'm sure that can be fixed. Besides, a shinigami is already there and can take care of the threat."

"It's Dr. Jekyll!" Danny exclaimed without thinking. He immediately drew the eyes of all the shinigamis. "What?"

"My name is Kurotsuchi," Kurotsuchi said.

"Still looks like a Dr. Jekyll to me," Danny muttered. But he refrained from further mentioning the name.

Hitsugaya stared at Danny oddly for a moment before saying, "The hollows—yes. But the ghosts are a different matter. I doubt the shinigami is equipped to handle that kind of pressure. He _is_ only a lower-ranked shinigami."

"Sure you're not talking about me?" Ichigo said.

"No."

"Oh. You mean that guy with the afro?" Ichigo recalled.

"Yes. That guy," Hitsugaya confirmed.

"He's an idiot," was all Ichigo said.

"How so?" Danny asked, curious to see why Ichigo had such a shinigami held in low respect. After all, if the taichous seemed to believe in him, why didn't Ichigo?

"He didn't even recognize this badge!" Ichigo flipped out said badge and flapped it in front of Danny's face.

"Neither would I if you hadn't said that it alerted you to hollows," Danny said blandly, swatting it away.

Ichigo huffed and tucked the badge away. He didn't say that Fantomu was a ghost and thus unfamiliar to the ways of the shinigamis.

"Come now," Kurotsuchi said, breaking into their mini-argument. "Surely that shinigami can deal with a small threat like those ghosts?" He didn't seem at all uncomfortable with using the word the way Hitsugaya had been.

"I doubt it," Ichigo said before the taichous could get a word in. "I had trouble with—what was he called?—the Box Ghost, I think."

"The Box Ghost," Danny affirmed. "And he's one of the weakest ghosts around."

"Maybe you should send Fantomu in," Ichigo suggested, remembering his scuffle with the Box Ghost. If the ghost boy hadn't shown up when he did, he'd probably be lying under a pile of boxes at that moment.

Before either Hitsugaya or Byakuya could respond, Kurotsuchi butted in. "If you hadn't noticed, Kurosaki, we are under attack ourselves. We can't risk sending _him_ off"—his eyes flitted over to Danny—"and not know what he's up to!"

"You could just send yourself with Fantomu to keep an eye on him," Ichigo suggested. "That shouldn't be too much trouble for a high ranking shinigami like yourself." He couldn't keep a note of sarcasm out of his tone.

"We need him _here_," Kurotsuchi insisted.

"Hey! I'm still here you know!" Danny complained.

"Why don't we ask him?" Ichigo said. He turned to Danny. "Do you want to go take care of those ghosts or stay here and take care of this threat?"

Danny was distinctly aware of four pairs of eyes staring at him with hostility emanating off three of them. He cocked his head slightly to one side, considering what he had just been offered.

'_If I go back, I might be able to turn back to human and not have to come back. But if I do that, who's going to take care of the Fright Knight?_' Danny turned over his options carefully. '_I have no way of getting back here if I leave; my chances of escaping from here are marginally higher if I do stay. But there's the matter of the ghosts…_' His eyes trailed back to the screen.

"Well?" Hitsugaya said impatiently. He obviously hated leaving the choice up to Danny.

"I think…" Danny said slowly and carefully, "…it would be better if I stay here."

"Why?" Byakuya had an eyebrow raised. Ichigo was sure the taichou had thought Danny would leap for the thought of freedom from Soul Society.

"Well, the Fright Knight is a big threat and none of you know him," Danny explained. "And the ghosts over there are probably not that big of a threat." '_That I know of from that little blip on the screen._' "For all I know, they could just be ectoplasmic blobs. I know that those are out there in the Ghost Zone."

"But the humans can see them," Kurotsuchi reminded them.

Danny sighed. "That's a problem."

"So you're staying here?" Hitsugaya asked.

Danny confirmed this with a nod. '_For now anyway._' He was secretly planning an escape once the Fright Knight was taken care of.

"We have a shinigami on the alert there," Byakuya said. "If they are indeed 'ectoplasmic blobs' we shouldn't have to worry."

'_I hope so,_' Danny thought. '_I mean, what else is out there that's stronger than the Fright Knight? Pariah Dark's locked up, my future self's stuck in a thermos, there's Desiree, Technus, the Lunch Lady…why did I even ask myself that question?_' He was starting to get a bad feeling about the ghosts in the human world. Unfortunately, it was a bit too late to retract his earlier statement.

Before Danny could think about his predicament any further, a sudden beeping drew all of their attention. Hitsugaya studied the screen, his face grim.

"What's up?" Danny asked nervously, not sure he wanted to know. '_Maybe staying here wasn't such a good idea. Fright Knight or no Fright Knight…_'

"The two signatures…they're colliding." Hitsugaya did not elaborate further.

Danny's eyes widened at that. If what he understood was correct, that meant the ghosts and hollows were fighting. And that was _very_ bad. He only hoped Sam and Tucker weren't caught in the crossfire.

Going to the human world suddenly seemed like a very good idea.

* * *

_"Not you. The thing behind you."_

Tucker was nervous. "Uh, what's behind us?"

"Boys"—Walker was grinning happily—"time to arrest some rule breakers."

"Guys?" Tucker was even more nervous and locked eyes with Sam. "What's behind us?"

"Duck," Walker stated.

"What?"

"He said 'duck'!" Sam cried, pulling Tucker to the ground.

Tucker's muffled cry of "Why?" did not go far before he heard and felt Walker's goons fly over his head to engage the unknown enemy.

As soon as both of them felt it was safe enough, they lifted up their heads and looked behind them to see what the problem was. It was then that they realized what the _real_ problem was.

"Why can't we see who they're fighting?" Sam demanded, watching a goon fire something at thin air only to be knocked back.

"Hollows?" Tucker suggested, seeing another goon being thrown about like a doll.

"Are you stupid?" Both of their heads snapped up to see Walker glaring at them. "If you're just going to look pretty, I recommend going somewhere else!"

"No problem!" Tucker was just about to scramble off when Sam jerked him back by the scruff of his shirt.

"Idiot! How are we going to get away if we can't see the enemy?" Sam scolded him.

"Then what do you suggest?" Tucker ducked a badly aimed ecto-blast.

Sam quickly inspected her surroundings before a grin flashed across her face. "Easy. We just hide."

"Where?" Tucker couldn't see anything. Did she mean the walls? They weren't ghosts!

"In here, of course!" Sam was crawling over to a green dumpster that Tucker had conveniently ignored and opened it, peering inside. He thought he saw a disgusted look cross her features but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Let's go!"

"But—" His protest was cut off by something invisible tearing out the wall right above his head. Effectively silenced, Tucker tore his pants trying to get to Sam fast enough. He was still scratched up by the rocks, though.

"Quickly!" Sam grabbed Tucker's shirt and tossed him up and over into the dumpster—head-first. But he still caught a glimpse of a sign saying "BIODEGRADABLE TRASH ONLY" and flinched. He got a mouthful of rotten banana peels and apple cores before Sam jumped right on top of him and shut the dumpster lid after her.

There was silence for a few moments as the two let their grim—and stinky—situation sink in.

"Ugh. First the sewer and now this? You _really_ know how to pick 'em, don't you?"

* * *

Loud cracking noises could be heard from within one door along with several thudding noises. Suddenly, the door was blown off its hinges by a huge, hulking beast that had been thrown into it. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that the beast in question was a skeleton with a grinning jaw.

Then, a huge shadow lurked within the door's shadows. The shadow stepped out to reveal Kenpachi, who was looking extremely bored. He kicked the tail of the beast he had just defeated aside and trod on the ribs as he made his way from the room.

"That was just stupid," he said, his sword on his shoulder. "I would've thought those skeletons had more fight in them with how they were laughing."

"You beat 'em all, Ken-chan!" Yachiru said brightly from her perch on his shoulder.

"Would've been more fun if they had brains," Kenpachi grumbled, walking up another staircase. He stopped at the top. "What floor are we on?"

"We're…on the third!" Yachiru figured, counting it on her pinky, ring, and middle finger.

"You sure about that?"

"Of course, Ken-chan! When have I ever been wrong?"

'_I think of a few good incidents_,' Kenpachi thought as he walked along the railing.

* * *

"AAAAARGH!" Three members of the Covert Ops team watched, wide-eyed, as one of their member dashed through them.

"What's wrong?" one of them called out.

"DRAGON!" Covert Ops #1 scrambled through a door right under a staircase and banged it shut behind him, not caring what was inside that room.

"How much sake do you wanna bet that there's no dragon?" another asked.

"Two bottles," the third said.

The one who had called out originally was quiet.

"Well? Hideyoshi?" Covert Ops #2 pressed.

"RUN!" Hideyoshi suddenly scampered away as well, sprinting into that same room the first one had run into.

"What's he scared about?" Covert Ops #2 turned around to see what had scared his companion so thoroughly. "Oh. That."

In fact, both of the remaining members had seen the huge dragon roaring towards them. And both of them immediately high-tailed it out of there to the same room their companions had escaped into.

"You owe me two sake bottles!" Covert Ops #3 accused the second.

In another instant, both of them were inside the room with the others and had slammed the door behind them. The last thing they heard from the dragon was a huge roar and a great buffet against the door—presumably the dragon's wings. And then there was silence.

All four of them heaved a huge sigh of relief. After that, they inspected their new surroundings.

"Hey," Hideyoshi said, "this isn't so bad."

It was a room filled with adorable stuffed toys, all of them teddy bears with huge smiling faces and beaming eyes. They were available in a myriad of colors and seemed completely innocent.

"Yeah," Covert Ops #2 agreed. "Stuffed toys."

The next occurrence made them all jump out of their skin.

In one movement, all the stuffed teddy bears jumped to their padded feet and bared sharp teeth, growling. To add to the imagery, their paws now had sharp claws that seemed like they could cause painful scratches. The whole room had turned from a playroom filled with innocent stuffed teddy bears to a room filled with murderous stuffed teddy bears that looked ready for business.

Covert Ops #3 was the only one who had enough courage to speak. "You still owe me two sake bottles."

* * *

"Circle 'round from the back!" Walker barked. "Now!"

The scattered goons fought to comply. It wasn't easy because the hollows they were fighting were gigantic. There were only two but their inexperience made it tougher. Finally, however, three goons managed to get to the back. They had shields and buzz batons and looked ready to—well—kill.

"We've got 'em now, boys!" Walker crowed, grinning as he saw the hollows being boxed in. "Sic 'em!"

Just as the three goons behind the spirits were about to throw a net, something whirled into their midst, scattering the ghosts about and tearing the net in two.

Walker glared at the newcomer, teeth bared and too furious to say anything.

"Wooo yeah!"A guy in black robes, really bushy eyebrows, and with a ridiculous afro spun around in a circle, wielding a shiny blade. "Take that, hollows! Finally Kurumadani Zennosuke has no interference!"

"Who are you?" Walker roared, not hearing the last statement in the least or if he did, not understanding it. "And you do know you just destroyed my only net?"

"Kurumadani Zennosuke knows no fear!" the afro guy proclaimed. "Prepare to—yagh!" He had overcut with his zanpakutou and missed the hollow he was aiming for. That same hollow whacked him with its tail and sent him flying into a wall. Zennosuke slid down, looking limp.

"Great. We have an idiot here," Walker said.

"You're the idiot here!" Zennosuke burst out, springing to his feet all of a sudden. Looked like he wasn't unconscious after all.

Walker didn't even blink. "I beg your pardon?"

"Fighting these hollows! That's _my_ job!" Zennosuke argued. "You guys aren't even shinigamis! I've been ignored too long! Finally, Soul Society will learn my power!" He struck an anime-style pose.

Those same hollows were staring at the shinigami like he was a delectable treat—which he was…to them. Walker was just staring at him as if he had lost his mind.

"What'd you say your name was again?"

"Kurumadani Zennosuke!" Zennosuke came out of his pose and pointed his zanpakutou at Walker. "And you're going to Soul Society, spirit!"

"You just broke Rule 1,050, Zenny," Walker said. "I hereby arrest you for interfering with the law."

"I _am_ with the law!" Zennosuke said. "You can't arrest a shinigami!"

"And what's a shini?" Bullet asked, finally coming out of a garbage can. He even had a banana peel on his head.

It was then that the hollows decided to jump in and take a bite of the shinigami. One of them went for the shinigami's head while the other feinted and went straight for Walker. It didn't work.

Zennosuke swung around, chopped off the hollow's arm, and kicked it. The other hollow, meanwhile, wasn't having any better luck. Walker had had plenty of time to fire up an ecto-blast and nail it in the chest.

"Take this, hollow!" Zennosuke shouted, jumping straight up in the air. He brought his zanpakutou straight down on the hollow he had kicked aside earlier. The only problem was that the hollow dodged and knocked into another ghost.

"You're under arrest, punk," Walker said to the hollow he was currently wrestling, "for charges of breaking into the Ghost Zone and wreaking havoc along with murdering innocent civilians."

The only answer he received was an answering roar from the hollow. After that, both spirits/ghosts were thrown into the open by the goon that had been knocked aside by the first hollow.

Zennosuke was about to follow when loud crashes, honks, and startled yells rent the air. By the time he got to the end of the alley, full-blown chaos had erupted in the street. The two ghosts and the hollow were in the middle of it, having blown a small crater in the middle. Cars were either perpendicular on the street, facing the wrong way, or attached to a lamppost or mailbox.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zennosuke swore. "You just caused a huge mess!"

Walker threw off the hollow on top of him and got up. "Isn't my problem, Zenny."

"How come they can see you?"

Walker thought about that for a moment in silence. "They've never seen a ghost like me before." He grinned. "And I mean that literally."

"Well have no fear! Kurumadani Zennosuke is here!" The shinigami struck another anime-style pose. In the next second, he had his zanpakutou out and ready to cut. "Die, hollows!"

He took a flying leap at the closest hollow and was just about to cut its mask when the second slammed into him, throwing him backwards into the alley and into the opposite wall. Zennosuke slid down once more, this time really unconscious.

Walker glared after him before turning back to the two hollows. He didn't even notice the amazed pedestrians as they took in the sight of a white, skeleton-like man in a white tuxedo with glowing green eyes floating in the middle of the street.

"Walker!" Bullet hovered next to the warden. "How do you think we should catch them?"

"SOULS!" one of the hollows suddenly roared, clawing out at the two ghosts.

They merely turned intangible before Bullet said anything again. "Should we knock them out?"

"And wait for them to recuperate?" Walker answered. "No." He looked around at the dumbfounded and scared people. "Turn them invisible and retreat to the alley."

"They're staring at us."

"Turn us invisible then!" Walker snapped, doing so himself.

Bullet shrugged and became invisible, grabbing a hollow after his boss and following them into the alley after the shinigami. Immediately after their disappearance, the citizens of Karakura Town began screaming and running around, having been snapped out of their stupor.

"Stun 'em and bag 'em, boys!" Walker ordered, swinging the hollow he had by the tail and banging it into the wall at his left.

"But, sir, we don't have a net," one of the goons objected.

"Then how do _you_ propose we catch them?"

"That's what I was asking you," the goon muttered, firing up his buzz baton.

Walker snarled and fired an ecto-blast at the hollow he had been holding. "Bullet!"

Bullet materialized next to Walker and let go of his hollow, relieved. He threw something to the ground and a huge smoke bomb appeared, blinding the hollows temporarily. It was only for a short reprieve but hopefully they'd find a way to capture them by the time the smoke dissipated.

* * *

"Door number fifty-three," Kenpachi declared, grabbing the door handle of another inconspicuous black door. I say "inconspicuous" because it was the only one without some sort of fancy decoration or pink color on it. "Let's see what's behind this one."

Yachiru waited excitedly on Kenpachi's shoulder as her taichou pulled on the door. It didn't open.

"Awww!" she sighed, disappointed. "I was hoping to see!"

Kenpachi frowned. "Funny. It should've opened." He kept tugging on it before growing fed up and kicked it. Then it opened wide with a loud _bang!_ "Oh. Stupid thing."

The taichou was just about to step in before he realized what he had opened the door into. It was a room filled with knights.

One of them was just saying, "It's nice to have a break. Now I can go get some…" He trailed off upon seeing the two shinigamis silhouetted in the doorframe. "Hey, aren't those two the intruders?"

Another one groaned. "Just when I was having a break, too!" He picked up a mace and gave it a few good _thunks_ with his palm. "Let's get them, knights!"

Kenpachi grinned insanely. "This is gonna be fun."

* * *

There was nothing for it. She would have to open the thermos.

So far, all the tests and readings she had performed on it hadn't come up with anything positive. All she had found out was that it was strong and contained some sort of ectoplasmic residue in it that was extremely dense. It would not allow her to go further and learn more.

Nemu unhooked the sensors from the small thermos and readied herself for opening it. She had no idea what was inside it but hoped that it would contain something benevolent. Something like soup for example…

Kurotsuchi's fukutaichou unscrewed the cap slowly and opened it, pointing it the other way to be safe. She saw something blue paint the wall she was pointing it at before a jet of bluish-white energy spiraled out. Nemu was blown backwards by the sheer force and struggled to regain her footing before the light died away.

What she saw had her absolutely speechless.

"Ah ha!" A chubby blue man with overalls was floating right before her very eyes. He put up his hands dramatically. "I am the Box Ghost! Your cylindrical container cannot trap me, ghost child!" His eyes fell on Nemu. "Wait! You are not the ghost child!"

Nemu found her voice. "What are you?"

"I am the Box Ghooost!" the Box Ghost said again, waving his arms. "You have freed me from the ghost child's infernal not-square container! And from the monsters within!" he added as an afterthought.

" 'The monsters within'?" Nemu repeated, confused. Her face looked as serene as always.

"They squashed me!" the Box Ghost said ruefully. "But now, I can finally unleash the wrath of"—a roll of bubble wrap appeared in his hands—"bubble wrap!"

Nemu decided that now would be a very good time to call for some backup so they could study this "Box Ghost". She reached behind her to press a button on the intercom that would automatically call for backup.

"Quake in fear!" the Box Ghost proclaimed. He then threw the bubble wrap at Nemu before fleeing to the door.

Nemu knocked aside the bubble wrap with a kick but was unable to get to the door in time to block the Box Ghost. Fortunately for her, the door suddenly opened and a lower rank shinigami appeared in it.

"You called?" he was saying. Then his eyes fell on the approaching ghost and they widened. "Holy crap! What the hell?"

The Box Ghost abruptly stopped in front of the shinigami. "Beware!"

"Aaagh!" The shinigami unsheathed his zanpakutou and started attacking the Box Ghost. It didn't work for the ghost merely turned intangible and let the blade sink through his misty form. "What is this?"

"I requested for backup to study this phenomenon," Nemu said softly, watching the shinigami futilely attack the Box Ghost. "Do you think you can help me restrain it?"

"I am the Box Ghost!" The Box Ghost once again let the zanpakutou sink through him. "Fear my boxes!" A bunch of boxes started hovering around him and pelted towards the shinigami.

Panicked, the shinigami just cut through everything before knocking the Box Ghost aside with an accidental whack from the flat side of his blade. Nemu instantly grabbed the Box Ghost by the straps of his overalls and threw him inside a glass chamber that they had specifically for an occasion like this.

"I am the Box Ghost!" the Box Ghost said again.

Nemu hit a button on the side which instantly soundproofed the whole chamber. At least they no longer had to listen to the insane ranting of the weird spirit.

Neither of them noticed the forgotten thermos, which was rattling. An ominous crack had appeared in the side and a gleaming eye was visible in it.

* * *

And in the meantime, the Fright Knight was not in a very good mood…

"What is the news with the intruders?" he barked at a knight.

"The groups are both still active," the knight immediately responded.

"And the smaller of the two? How close have they come to our floor?"

"They have come to level three."

"After how many repeats?"

"They went through one and two about five times, my liege," the knight admitted.

"Where are they now?" The Fright Knight folded his arms across his chest, his Soul Shredder in one of his hands.

"They have just encountered a more frequently used room," the knight reported. "They are fighting the knights in it right now."

"Good." The Fright Knight's voice was grim. "It is time that I face them. This has gone on for too long." He started to glow green. "This will end…now."

* * *

**EDIT (03/29/10):** Ichigo's bankai will be starring in Chapter 24 according to my outline. So any people concerned with possible spoilers should be aware of that.

**You guys might have wanted to see more Danny in this chapter but for right now, there's not enough going on for him to really star. A bit more needs to pass before Danny can enter this story in full once more. You really don't want to read a lot of mindless rambling, right?  
**

**Once again, I thank _SpartanCommander _for those few ideas that also gave me further inspiration so I could finish this chapter. Thanks a bunch!**


	13. More Questions and More Ghostly Battles

**Thanks to_ Hyperpegasi, Adran06, PLC The CD, GhostKing666, ShadowFox123, Hordak's Pupil, Adriannrod Svit-Kona Sama, MaxRideNut . logout , Dragon260, Bored2Deth, SpartanCommander, Garnet Sky_, and _Hawky Phantom_ for reviewing! **

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Danny Phantom_ nor _Bleach_. I seem to have reached a stop to my witty comments…**

* * *

**Chapter 13: More Questions and More Ghostly Battles**

* * *

All was quiet. Or so it seemed to Sam and Tucker, both of whom were currently stuck in a biodegradable dumpster that stunk to high heaven. They couldn't wait to get out and wash themselves of the junk that had accumulated on their bodies. Unfortunately, they had no idea how the fight was proceeding outside of their safe haven. And both of them were desperate to find out.

"Hey, Sam," Tucker whispered in the stinky darkness. There was only a thin shaft of light coming from an opening.

"Yeah, Tucker?" Her voice sounded weird because she was holding her nose.

"Do you think you could pick a better hiding place next time?"

Sam nearly groaned before stifling her urge. It wouldn't be prudent to do it now if they had the chances of being discovered. "Of all the questions to ask, you ask me _that_?" she hissed.

"Sorry!" Tucker took a deep breath through his mouth, trying not to gag for the hundredth time. "I was just asking 'cause you've dumped us in the sewers before and now in this dumpster." Then a thought struck him. "Do you now admit that meat is superior to vegetables?"

Sam couldn't believe her ears. Was he seriously bringing up that debate now? She decided to nip that small hope in the bud. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Tubble, but I'm still an ultra-recyclo vegetarian."

" 'Tubble'?" Tucker said indignantly. "I'm not fat!"

"It just rhymed," Sam muttered, rearranging her seating position to something more comfortable. She instantly regretted it as her stockings came in contact with something moist and most presumably rotten.

Tucker was silent for a moment. "Do you think we can peek?"

"It's quiet," Sam mused. Then: "Stay low."

Tucker obliged by ducking his head to the wall and hoped to God that his beret wasn't getting soiled. Meanwhile, Sam stretched out and lifted the lid up just a little so that she could look outside. A couple of seconds later, she opened it completely and let the sunlight stream in.

"Air!" Tucker cried joyfully without a moment's thought. He leapt up and out of the dumpster before Sam could restrain him.

"Idiot!" Sam hissed, leaping out after him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him backwards. "Look before you walk!"

Tucker looked, confused. What he saw was a huge dust cloud covering the ground; Walker's goons and Bullet were floating above it. "I don't get it," he said, still confused.

Sam sighed and called out to the warden. "_Walker!_"

Walker caught sight of them and instantly looked furious. "What are you doing here? You're obstructing justice!"

"What's the deal with the hollows?" she said in a loud whisper.

"The hollows?" Walker didn't seem to comprehend what she was talking about.

"The monsters you were fighting!" Sam said in an even louder whisper.

"Why didn't you say so?" Walker was a bit disgruntled.

"Well?" Sam insisted, still holding Tucker's sleeve. The African-American was keeping his eyes peeled for any strange occurrences from invisible beings.

"We're having trouble finding a way to contain them," Walker admitted reluctantly.

"We lost our net thanks to that bozo over there," Bullet added, pointing to a blank stretch of wall at the end of the alley.

"Huh?" Tucker looked. "I don't see anything."

Sam was thoughtful. "So you're only having trouble catching them?"

"That's right. And if you have something to help, I'd suggest saying it now because the smoke is clearing."

"Tucker, where's the thermos?"

"In my backpack," Tucker answered. "Why?"

Sam didn't answer; instead, she immediately tore his backpack open and rummaged through it. "At the bottom?"

"Yeah, it's at the bottom," he confirmed. "Are you catching the unseen hollows?"

Sam grabbed the thermos instead of answering and threw it up to Walker. "Catch!"

Walker grabbed it and uncapped it while it faced the other way. He was all too aware of its suctioning powers, having captured Danny Phantom in it himself while he was trying to catch the halfa.

"Come on, Tucker!" Sam pulled her friend backwards so they pressed against the wall next to the dumpster.

"Are you sure there's nothing against this wall?" Tucker asked anxiously, inspecting the bricks for any hidden secrets.

"No. But what choice do we have?" Sam made herself flat.

"Excellent point." Tucker copied her position.

Meanwhile, Walker was waiting for the smoke to clear up so he could have a good shot at the hollows. Bullet and his goons were well out of the way, not wanting to be in the path of the thermos's suctioning power when the warden activated it.

Five seconds later, the smoke finally cleared up enough for Walker to get a bird's eye view of the two hollows. He was about to activate the thermos when one of them jumped up unexpectedly, startling the warden so much he floated backwards two feet. The same hollow attempted a swipe, which scored a hit on the ghost's chest, raking three long claw marks that oozed green ectoplasm.

Walker hissed involuntarily and instantly retaliated by activating the Fenton Thermos and sucking in the surprised hollow. In the same second, the injured warden caught the second hollow, who had been too dumbfounded to even consider attacking once the smoke had cleared.

"Walker!" Bullet rushed to his side. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" Walker snapped, clutching his bleeding chest and trying to stem the bleeding by pressing on each cut in turn. "Just wait for the healing to kick in."

"Did you catch them?" Tucker called, having seen the warden point the thermos to seemingly thin air. He had also watched in amazement as three deep scratches had appeared with no one to cause them.

"They're bagged!" Bullet affirmed; he descended to a foot above the ground.

"Hey!" Sam said sharply. "Give us that thermos!"

She had caught Walker in the act of trying to stuff the thermos in his suit. He sourly threw it back to the Goth.

"You weren't trying to snag it so you could catch Danny, were you?" she accused.

"He's still a fugitive," Walker insisted, hovering at the same level as Bullet. His wounds started sealing up as he spoke, vanishing with a trail of steam. The only evidence remaining that he had been injured were the green stains on his suit.

"Forgive me for asking but who was that bozo you were talking about earlier?" Tucker inquired, looking at that wall again. "I can't see anything."

"He's lying there unconscious," Bullet said. "You really can't see him?"

Sam shook her head. "For reasons unknown, we can't see the spirits here. Only Danny can and we thought he was crazy at first. And there are a few people here also capable of seeing them."

All the ghosts were staring at the two silently. Walker and Bullet had faint traces of disgust on their faces.

"What?" Tucker and Sam shared glances. Sam spoke. "Is something wrong?"

"Have you inspected your clothes? Not being clean is breaking the rules," Walker said.

Both teens looked at their clothes and realized what the problem was.

Sam's outfit was completely fouled up beyond recognition. Her stockings were black with various clumps of rotten fruits and some dark shapes that she'd rather not identify; her tank top was slightly green in some places; her boots squished when she walked in them; and her hair also had various rotten food items in it. Tucker's beret was a blackish color with some unidentifiable objects on it; his pants were in the same shape as Sam's stockings; and his shirt was in equal disarray. Both of them also stunk to unimaginable levels.

Sam and Tucker shared another glance.

The Goth laughed weakly and put up her hands in a shrug. "Oops."

"I think you mean 'gross'," Tucker corrected, a greenish hue filling his face.

"You're both under arrest for stinking up the perimeters."

* * *

"Have you taken the readings, Riku?" Nemu asked her assistant.

Riku glanced at the computer screens before looking at their ghostly captive again. "Yeah. Did you know that this only takes five minutes?"

"And what are the results?"

Riku beeped around on the keyboard, examining the data. "He's got a lot of reiryoku. In fact, I would say that these are the highest spiritual readings that I've ever gotten. But then, I don't normally take these kind of readings," he admitted.

Nemu was about to ask another question when the Box Ghost banged into the glass wall facing them once more. This time, the whole glass rattled. The ghost said something before turning into a bluish-white see-through form. He then phased through the glass much to both of the shinigami's eternal shock.

"Ha! You cannot trap me, the Box Ghost!" the Box Ghost bragged triumphantly. "Now, you shall face the wrath of my cardboard boxes of doooom!" On cue, dozens of boxes appeared at his side and all of them dropped on the shinigamis' heads.

"How did he get out of the containment field?" Riku asked, slicing a box in tatters with his zanpakutou.

"It's specifically designed against forced exits," Nemu said.

"Forgive me for being rude, fukutaichou, but wasn't that a _subtle_ exit?"

Nemu stepped to one side to avoid being squashed by the boxes that the Box Ghost was throwing their way. She was looking at the screens and their various readings behind her assistant. "Did you get any new readings once the spirit escaped?"

Riku froze, effectively allowing the Box Ghost to drop a box filled with bubble wrap on top of his head. He got up a minute later, staring at Nemu in disbelief. "Fukutaichou, do you honestly think I checked them after he got out and told us we couldn't trap him?"

"Check them, please," Nemu ordered in her gentle voice.

"Sure." Riku couldn't keep a note of sarcasm out of his voice but was evidently wary of turning his back to the floating ghost with boxes. "But I'm not exactly helpful in my helplessness, fukutaichou."

"Helplessness? At last! Fear my boxed bubble wrap!" The Box Ghost started throwing bubble wrapped boxes at the shinigami. The combination was not exactly lethal as it just whacked against the spirit's back and then dropped harmlessly to the floor.

Nonetheless…

"Ow!" Riku complained, jumping as a second box thumped against his back.

"My boxes know no bounds!" The Box Ghost was about to throw another box at the shinigami when Nemu suddenly attracted his attention. A gleaming knife had whizzed over his shoulder and embedded itself in the ceiling. Startled, the Box Ghost turned around to see Nemu reaching for another more dangerous looking knife.

"The readings?" Nemu asked calmly.

"Readings are not for me!" the Box Ghost ranted. "For me is the packaging of crates!"

"It's like nothing I've seen before," Riku called over his shoulder, keeping an eye on the blue ghost. "It's like the reiryokus literally scramble apart, making him formless. It probably explains how he phased through that containment field."

"Save the readings." Nemu had the knife up and ready to throw.

"Aye-aye, fukutaichou." He pressed a few buttons and the readings interchanged with a bar that slowly filled out to its full length. After it was completed, it flashed and showed "100% Download Complete".

"I hate readings!" the ghost proclaimed before tossing another box at the fukutaichou.

Just as Nemu threw a knife at the oncoming box, just as Riku was about to enter the fight, and just as the Box Ghost was in the middle of turning tail and fleeing to a safer area, time seemed to slow down in slow-motion for the people inside the lab.

There was an ominous cracking noise that distracted everyone to the table on the right side of the lab. Nemu's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the huge crack running from the bottom of the lid to the bottom of the thermos. But what shocked her even more were the gleaming eyes staring at her.

Just as she comprehended the fact that there were eyes staring at her, the whole thermos exploded in a flare of bluish-white light revealing not one but several dark shapes in it. And then, much to the amazement both of the shinigamis and the puzzlement of the Box Ghost, two of them started to grow, touching the ceiling and sending a torrent of stones raining down on the shinigamis.

"What's going on?" Riku asked nervously, not liking it one bit.

"It is the monsters!" the Box Ghost wailed, suddenly comprehending what it was that was hiding in the light.

"What are the monsters, spirit?" Nemu demanded, not liking it one bit.

"It's dark in there!" the Box Ghost said defensively. "And I want no more with the monsters! Farewell!" With that said, the Box Ghost turned intangible, or "formless", and left via the ceiling, leaving the two shinigamis alone with the mysterious shapes.

Riku finally spoke. "I'm guessing that it's nothing good."

When the light show dissipated after he spoke, the two shinigamis were greeted with a terrifying view. Two humongous Menos Grande were growing before their very eyes and two normal sized hollows were staring at them hungrily.

Then, the situation suddenly worsened. The ceiling completely cracked under the strain of the Menos Grande and the two towered to their respective heights in a matter of seconds. Both shinigamis were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"Prepare to face my maced wrath!" a knight screamed, charging Kenpachi head on. This knight was swinging around a mace as per to his battle cry.

"I've heard this before. Except that normally I fight zanpakutous and not maces." Kenpachi effortlessly stopped the mace midair with his own weapon and sliced it in half.

"What?" The visor on the helmet of the knight flapped open, revealing an empty space inside. It clanged shut as the knight hesitated on his next move.

Fed up with the knight's indecision, Kenpachi just ran forwards and dismembered the knight's various armored limbs and took on three different knights that were waiting behind the previous one. Only one of them had a shield and the other two wielded a sword and a lance respectively. It didn't take long before the eleventh division taichou finished with the trio.

He looked bored as he effortlessly dispatched another knight by sending his right leg, his disemboweled head, and his left leg, which was still attached to the torso, into the wall.

And where was Yachiru, you might ask? The little pink-haired fukutaichou was hiding outside of the room, peeking in occasionally to check in on her taichou's progress. She could have participated for all the effort it took to destroy the knights but she didn't want to spoil Kenpachi's fun. As it was, she'd already noticed that the group of knights they had encountered was turning out to be less fun than Kenpachi had anticipated.

"All right! Enough of this!" Kenpachi stomped decisively onto the stone floor. "Who here can really put up a good fight?"

The remaining knights, all five of them, shared glances. One of them didn't even have a visible head so the only sign that he was sharing a glance with the other knights was his moving torso. Then, as one, they all shrugged and started baring their weapons threateningly.

"You have got to be kidding me," Kenpachi lamented. "Not even a taker?"

One of the five knights clanked his armor and pointed his pointy, dull sword towards Kenpachi's chest. "I'll take you on," the knight rumbled. On top of his helmet was a pointy green flame.

"Oh good. A taker." Kenpachi grinned and batted his opponent's sword with his zanpakutou. "You look tough."

"Best fighter in my degree," the knight said proudly.

"Whatever that means," Kenpachi said. Without warning, the shinigami stepped forwards and engaged the knight.

Both of them started combating with their swords and danced around, parrying each other. Their swords created a gleaming network as the blades flew. However, it soon became apparent that Kenpachi was merely toying with the knight. After two minutes, the taichou rooted his feet and pushed the knight backwards several feet.

"Hey!" one of the four remaining knights called out in alarm. "Watch out!"

Before the attacked knight could respond, Kenpachi grinned insanely and let loose with some debilitating pressure that instantly flattened the knight he had been pushing back. He didn't stop there. The entire room was filled with the pressure that was Zaraki Kenpachi's reiatsu.

The four remaining knights stood no chance. Each one of them was flattened simultaneously and left a smoldering heap of armor on the stone floor. As soon as the job was done, Kenpachi stopped releasing his reiatsu and reined it in, looking rather disgruntled.

"And here I was thinking that the guy could actually put up a decent fight," he grumbled, turning his back to the room full of knights. " 'Best fighter in my degree' my ass. And what the hell is a degree anyway?"

It was with these mutterings that Kenpachi made his way to the door of the room. He was about to meet with Yachiru when a loud rumbling hit the room. Not even rattled, the taichou turned around to see what had caused the disturbance. His visible eye widened slightly upon seeing the huge winged horse standing in the middle of the room.

The horse, once it realized it had been spotted, pawed the ground and grinned manically. Before Kenpachi could ponder what seeing a horse meant, a cloud of bats flew into the room via the walls and conjoined, forming a solid mass that became clearer until it revealed a single knight with a fiery purple cape. This single knight was bowed over until he straightened out and revealed green eyes in the shadows of his helmet. He held a gleaming green sword in one hand.

Kenpachi took a step forward, his zanpakutou trailing on the ground. "The Fright Knight, I assume?"

"You've heard of me then." The Fright Knight copied the shinigami's position.

"You do realize that your castle is ridiculously easy to get through?"

"I would have met you on the fifth floor—where I was located—if your antics had not bored me so quickly," the Fright Knight retorted. "In fact, going through levels one and two five times meticulously and only beginning to scratch level three decided it for me. Do you have a horrible sense of direction?"

"Nah." Kenpachi grinned again. "I just have to explore each nook and cranny." He didn't mention that it had been his fukutaichou who had led him to explore those two levels so thoroughly. "Now the real fight begins."

The Fright Knight's gleaming eyes narrowed. "You're not enjoying this, are you?"

"The hell I am! This'll probably be the best fight I've had in a while! Especially since Ichigo refuses to fight me again."

"I will never understand you mortals," the Fright Knight declared.

"And I expect I can say the same for you," Kenpachi said. "Now come on!"

Without another word, Kenpachi leapt towards the Fright Knight, clashing swords instantly.

Outside, Yachiru smiled. It seemed like her taichou was finally enjoying himself.

* * *

Both Nemu and the young shinigami were huddled up against what would have been a wall. It was completely wrecked, though, and similar rubble lay all around them. Riku was panting, his head lying against the concrete. Nemu, on the other hand, was on the balls of her feet, one hand on the dusty ground and peering around the side of the "wall".

Even the sight of two enormous and fully grown Menos Grande and their tiny—in comparison—hollow companion didn't startle her as completely as it had before.

"Fukutaichou," Riku whispered. "What do we do?"

"You have your zanpakutou still, yes?" Nemu asked quietly, keeping an eye on the hollows.

"Yes." Riku looked frightened as his mind jumped to conclusions. "You're not going to make me fight them, are you? Menos Grande are for higher ranked shinigamis than me! I'm not even ranked!"

"I know," Nemu said calmly, turning to face her assistant. "Unfortunately, this situation requires a zanpakutou, which I do not have at the moment."

"Then use mine!" Riku thrust his upon her.

"I cannot use your zanpakutou the way I would use mine. You know this." Nemu shoved it back.

"OK then." Riku took a deep breath. "Then how about this: we both run!"

Nemu raised an eyebrow. "We need to take care of the problem here. These Menos Grande and the hollows are extremely problematic in Soul Society due to the number of shinigamis here. You know that. And—" She was cut off by a quaking of the ground. A quick peek showed that the Menos Grande were making a move already, taking gargantuan steps and smashing the rest of the already destroyed laboratory. The hollows were sniffing out the area by taking smaller steps closer to their location.

Riku quaked. "Oh no," he moaned, looking even whiter now. "What if they see us?"

"Quiet!" Nemu hissed.

But it was too late. The hollows suddenly let out earsplitting roars and leapt towards their hiding place. Unless the two came up with a plan quickly, the Menos Grande would also be alerted to their location.

* * *

"Now that you've caught the hollows, what are you going to do?" Sam asked Walker.

Walker folded his arms. "Go back to the Ghost Zone of course."

"That's a new one," Tucker said, taken aback. "Ghosts don't normally go back voluntarily."

"Ghosts don't belong here," Walker stated.

"That's great and all but you can't go back," Sam said.

"And why not?" Walker demanded. "You're normally so eager to dump us back in."

"That's true," Sam admitted. "But there's a slight problem since we're not in the same dimension anymore"

"Come again?" Walker didn't seem to believe them.

"It's a lot, I know," Tucker said. "But it's true. There's no Ghost Zone and we can't see the ghosts. Only Danny can."

"If it _was_ true that we're not in the same dimension anymore," Walker said, "how do you propose we _got_ here?"

"An excellent question." Tucker adjusted his glasses. "What's the last thing you remember before being here in this alley?"

"My prison was destroyed."

"That's it?" Sam said disbelievingly. "Your prison was destroyed? All you saw was rubble?"

"We saw red light," Bullet supplied. "One of those dratted monsters attacked us with some flashy red light. _Then_ the prison was destroyed."

"That's three for three, I think," Tucker said, counting on his fingers. "According to Danny, the Box Ghost was also deposited here after a red light, you guys saw the same, and we also came here after getting blasted by a green ghost that Danny didn't catch on time."

"It's gotta be something in that red light," Sam said thoughtfully.

"What are you blathering about?" Walker asked.

"We're just going over some stuff," Sam answered. "We have a small theory as to how we got here."

"Let's hear it," Walker invited, looking stern and imposing.

"All of us got here after being hit by a red light," Sam started. "That leads us to believe that there's something in it that tore open a hole between the dimensions."

"But the likelihood of it always opening to _this_ dimension is pretty small," Tucker added. "There have to be thousands of dimensions and we always end up in this one? Something's fishy."

"Or maybe it's just calibrated to this dimension because those hollows come from here," Sam mused.

Walker and Bullet both shared glances, revealing that they weren't exactly following the track of the conversation. The rest of the goons just looked plain confused.

"Do you mind rewinding?" Bullet asked.

"Hollows are one breed of ghosts here," Sam explained. "They have an attack that directs a red beam of light towards what they're targeting. We've all been hit by that same light, and we end up here. It all seems too weird because, as Tucker said, there have to be thousands of different dimensions and we always end up here."

"You've been transported before?" Walker said.

"No." Sam shook her head, sending bits of garbage flying. Tucker ducked a few errant pieces. "As of now, the Box Ghost, you, and we have been sent here—"

"Don't forget Skulker," Tucker interrupted. "Remember? Danny told us that Ichigo told him that Skulker was hunting him."

"But we don't know that he was hit by a red light," Sam objected.

"Chances are that it's likely."

"Skulker?" Walker grinned. "That hunter still owes me a few more decades for hunting illegal prey."

"Would that include Danny?" Sam asked hopefully.

Walker glared. "No."

Sam looked crestfallen but continued, "Anyway. In short, all of the above—minus Skulker's remaining decades—leads us to believe the red light transported us here. And because you, Skulker, the Box Ghost, _and_ we have _only_ been transported here, it leads us to believe that something fishy is going on. After all, why _this_ dimension out of all the probable thousands out there? Why not just dump us in a dimension where the Earth is just water?"

"That's just depressing," Tucker muttered.

"That does make more sense," Walker admitted. "But now, you said that the…hollows are just one breed of ghosts here. What's the other?"

"The shinigamis," Sam answered. "Those ghosts—or spirits according to Danny—hunt the hollows. They also prefer to stay a secret."

"Which puts _us_ in jeopardy," Tucker added.

"And where is the ghost boy during all of this?" Bullet queried. "With his tendency of saving people, I would've thought that he'd be here, saving you from being eaten by those hollows."

"Around," Sam said just as Tucker said mournfully, "We think they took him."

The Goth glared at him. Walker just let his arms fall to his sides.

"He _is_ here," Sam said forcefully, turning back to the floating warden. "He's just not _here_ here."

"And you can't find him?"

"We never said that!" Sam said sharply.

"Of course," Walker relented, grinning.

Sam changed the subject while she still could. "You still have to tell us what's going on back there."

"We never agreed to that," Walker objected.

"And you never said you wouldn't tell us!" Sam retorted. "Besides, we need to know."

"Is it in chaos?" Tucker asked.

"With those rule breakers running around it's complete chaos!" Walker shouted. "They're eating ghosts left and right and even the town's overrun!"

Both teens winced.

"Crud," Sam whispered. "That is not good."

"How'd they get there anyway?" Tucker wondered, trying to blot out images of a ravaged Amity Park with unseen hollows running around. "They belong here!"

"Tell that to them," Walker said sourly. "They've sure taken over the place. It took everything I had just to get _one_ under control before our whole place went up sky high."

"But what can we _do_?" Sam muttered aloud. "Danny isn't here and we can't even see these stupid ghosts!"

A noise heard only by the ghosts made all of them turn around much to Sam and Tucker's bemusement. They looked behind and under them but couldn't see anything besides the alley wall, which was made out of uninteresting bricks.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked curiously

* * *

"But what can we _do_?" Sam muttered aloud. "Danny isn't here and we can't even see these stupid ghosts!"

"We're _spirits_ not _ghosts_," a new voice protested to Sam's remark.

Walker and the ghosts turned around, seeing Kurumadani Zennosuke walking toward them, his sword sheathed. They ignored Sam and Tucker, who were looking curiously behind them.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked curiously.

"Great. The idiot's awake," Walker said, looking bored.

" 'Idiot'?" Tucker was really looking now. "I can't see anything!"

"I'm not surprised," Zennosuke said. "Shinigamis aren't visible to mortals. But in this town, _everyone_ seems to be able to see me…" He had lapsed into grumbles. He then spoke clearly. "But I resent that earlier remark. I am _not_ an idiot!"

"Sure you're not," Bullet said, folding his arms.

"But I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with these two mortals," Zennosuke said, glancing at Sam and Tucker. "And I heard what the girl was saying about what to do about the hollow infestation in your hometown. I might have a suggestion."

"We're all ears," Walker said much to the two teens' everlasting confusion.

"What's going on?" Sam demanded. "Could you at least _tell_ us what he's saying?"

"He says he has a suggestion for the monsters that are overrunning Amity Park," Bullet obliged.

" 'We're all ears'!" Tucker quoted eagerly.

"You can come back to Soul Society with me and we'll talk it over," Zennosuke said. "From what I've heard, the kid, Fantomu, is there, too. If he's from the same place you're from, you might be able to talk it over with him."

There was silence for a few moments; Sam and Tucker had no clue what was going on between the ghosts and the blank stretch of wall.

"And who might Fantomu be?" Walker finally said in a low voice.

Zennosuke sighed and scratched his hair. "Looks like I'll have to explain."

* * *

**I left several cliffies open. Forgive me for that. XD All I can say is that I WILL resolve them. Eventually. As for that previously nameless shinigami by Nemu's side, I needed to pick a name so it wouldn't sound so awkward. For your information, Riku means "land". It was just something I picked randomly. **

**I'd also like to say I'm co-writing a story with Dannyandsamlover called Danny's Greatest Fight. If you want to check it out, it's on _Dannyandsamlover's_ profile. **

**So…thoughts? Comments? Now is the time to do so along with advice on how to improve this story. Give me your feedback, people, by REVIEWING please!**


	14. The Fright Knight and Kenpachi

**I posted two new one-shots: An H-E-B Machine and Good and Evil while rotating stories. The latter story was just one that I suddenly thought up and had to write.  
**

**Thanks to _GhostKing666, Hyperpegasi, SpartanCommander, MaxRideNut, Vi, Piece of Toast, Adrainnrod Svit-Kona Sama, NarutoPhantom, _and _mimifoxlove _for reviewing! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_. If I did, I would've crossed these two shows over on TV. **

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Fright Knight and Kenpachi**

* * *

The two spirits/ghosts crossed swords again, the force of it straining eardrums. The Fright Knight managed to push Kenpachi off, diving in for an attack soon after. Kenpachi slid to a stop and lifted up his sword defensively, blocking the Fright Knight with one hand while the ghost himself had two hands on his hilt.

"Not bad," Kenpachi said, his sword quivering as the Fright Knight exerted more pressure. "You've got some fight."

The Fright Knight said nothing, merely retreating for the moment.

"Nothing to say?" Kenpachi grinned, holding his sword to his mouth. "Then I'll just say it for you: time to get serious."

All of a sudden, he released his awesome reiatsu. The Fright Knight buckled to his knees, the force of it surprising him.

"Aargh." The ghost attempted to push himself off of the ground but failed miserably. He only succeeded in lifting his head up to glare at Kenpachi.

"Aw come on. Even Ichigo wasn't this bad!" Kenpachi said, looking rather sour. "Are you even worth fighting? And here the white-haired kid was saying that you're strong. Maybe he's just weak."

" 'White-haired kid'?" the Fright Knight repeated. "Phantom?"

"Fantomu actually," Kenpachi corrected. "You know him?"

"Of course." The Fright Knight got on one knee. "That halfa is a pain in the neck."

"Halfa?" Kenpachi raised an eyebrow at the term, lessening up on his reiatsu just a bit but not too much. He thought that this would be interesting to hear.

"Half-ghost half-human," the ghost explained. "He defeated the ghost king, Pariah Dark."

'_Half-human? That's certainly something to tell the crew back home,_' Kenpachi mused. '_But how can that be? Walking on the line between life and death?_' After another second's thought, he decided it didn't matter. '_Bah. Who cares? If he defeated the ghost king, he's probably something to talk about._'

"Did you come here to interrogate me?" the Fright Knight interrupted his thoughts. "I am sure that you could have done so in more favorable environments."

"Interrogate you?" Kenpachi laughed. "Who am I? A Covert Ops member? No. I came here to fight."

"You don't seem to be doing so much of that," the Fright Knight pointed out, moving to his feet. He felt as if he was adapting to the constant pressure hammering down on his shoulders. In the back of his mind, he was already planning out the fight ahead of him.

"Of course. But first, let me introduce myself. Zaraki Kenpachi, taichou of the eleventh division," Kenpachi introduced himself. "I already know who you are, courtesy of Fantomu." He grinned. "You hate pumpkins?"

The Fright Knight's armor flared green and the horse behind him snorted angrily. Both of them hated the insult. The armored knight held the Soul Shredder out before him, the blade dividing his figure in half in Kenpachi's viewpoint. His body language told the shinigami that he was raring to go.

"Gladly," Kenpachi accepted the invitation, releasing the rest of his reiatsu that he had been holding back before jumping against the Fright Knight.

The sudden addition of pressure bowed the Fright Knight down just as Kenpachi's zanpakutou sliced the air above his helmet. In retrospect, the pressure actually saved the Fright Knight a grievous injury, something that Kenpachi should have anticipated.

The Fright Knight braced his knees and drove his sword upward, nearly goring Kenpachi's shoulder. All he needed was one wound and the taichou would be whisked away to his worst nightmare.

The fight was on for good.

* * *

The small group in the lab was watching the screen attentively, looking for any new developments. Danny was halfway divided between his own thoughts and the screen. On one hand, he could escape to the real world if he could find a way out and on the other, the Fright Knight was a big deal. He was still undecided even though he had told the shinigamis that he'd be staying.

It was soon decided when…

"The hollows' signatures have vanished," Hitsugaya announced.

"They have?" Danny looked at the screen and saw a big plop of something and a small pulsing dot next to it. "It just looks like plops of electricity to me."

Ichigo snickered while Hitsugaya scowled at the halfa.

"The big 'plop' of electricity is the ghosts and the other 'plop' would be the shinigami we have stationed in Karakura Town," Hitsugaya said sternly. "The hollows have disappeared so the shinigami has taken care of them."

'_I guess that decides it,_' Danny thought. '_Maybe the shinigami can take care of those ghosts while I stay here and help out with the Fright Knight. I just hope it's nothing big over there so the shinigami isn't completely overwhelmed._'

This decision was offset by a blue stream of smoke that escaped from his lips: his ghost sense. He gasped audibly as it slipped out, alerting the other shinigamis to the sense.

Ichigo frowned as he saw it. Hadn't he seen something similar to the other Danny once? He wasn't sure but there was the suspicion. Maybe…maybe not everything was as it seemed with the four.

"What was that?" Byakuya asked curiously.

"My ghost sense." Danny frowned thoughtfully. "But why is it going off here?"

"Ghost sense?" Ichigo was now remembering the time when the other Danny had jumped straight up in the air in correspondence with his badge screaming "hollow". He had also seen a blue mist slip out from that Danny's mouth. It seemed too coincidental…

"There's a ghost here—not counting you guys. Why do you think it's a ghost _sense_?"

"Fascinating," Kurotsuchi muttered, bending down to Danny's eye level. "Is this unique to you?"

Danny blinked, startled. "Uh, yeah, I guess." He couldn't think of any other ghost with a ghost sense other than his future self and Dani but he wasn't going to talk about his clone. Not even Vlad had one as far as he was aware.

"Fascinating," Kurotsuchi said again. "Are you sure you don't want to be a—" He was cut off by a violent stream of shivers from the half-ghost.

Danny rubbed his arms, shivering. "It's c-cold." Just as he finished saying this, a huge plume of blue mist exited his mouth.

"What does that mean?" Hitsugaya demanded. "That was different from the last time."

His shivers had lessened and his ghost sense had stopped. "That's only happened once before: when those huge hollows showed up," Danny said, still rubbing his arms.

"The Menos Grande?" Ichigo suggested, eyes widening.

"Yeah." Another bout of shivers struck Danny and his ghost sense went off violently. "But it was first my normal ghost sense and now this. Which means…"

"YAAAAH!" All of them jumped at the sound of a new voice. Danny's ghost sense went off once more and a familiar chubby ghost phased through the ceiling, crashing into the monitor and rendering it dead. "FEAR THE MONSTERS OF DOOOOM!"

"Box Ghost?" Danny jumped into action quicker than the shinigamis. "What are _you_ doing here? You're supposed to be in the thermos!" His hand went instinctively to the strap at his shoulder before he realized that nothing was there. "_Crud!_ The thermos! Where is it?"

He didn't notice Kurotsuchi look away, shifting his eyes suspiciously. Ichigo and the others noticed; Byakuya raised an eyebrow, Hitsugaya's eye twitched, and Ichigo's face was saying "Not again".

"You cannot trap me in your flimsy not-square container!" the Box Ghost declared. "For I am the—"

"Box Ghost," Danny interrupted, bending his knees and floating up to the Box Ghost's level much to the shinigamis' surprise. "I may not have a thermos, but I still have this." His right hand flared green as he pointed it threateningly to the Box Ghost.

"I am not your enemy, ghost child!" the Box Ghost said, surprisingly saying something that wasn't related to boxes. "The monsters are!"

' "_Ghost child"? Where have I heard that before?_' Ichigo recalled a certain mechanical suited ghost that had been talking about the ghost child commenting that he should play video games for his obsession with guns. He also remembered that Danny had commented on Skulker, meaning that he knew him. '_I have to pay more attention. It's obvious that the Box Ghost and Skulker are from Fantomu's world. So the story about Fantomu being from a different dimension has merit. But how does that explain those weird occurrences with the other Danny?_'

"Monsters?" Danny let his ghost ray die out. "What—" He was broken off by yet another stream of shivers that caused him to hunch in on himself as a stream of blue billowed from his lips. "Aagh," he groaned. "This is _not_ good."

Ichigo then remembered something else with increasing alarm. "The thermos is gone, right?"

"Y-yeah?" Danny looked down at Ichigo, trying to stifle his ghost sense but failing.

"Didn't you suck in that first hollow you ever fought in that thing and those two Menos Grande?"

"You were there?" Danny's ghost sense had died out, allowing him to breathe normally. He thought back. "I did now that I think about it. I also…" His eyes widened. "_Now_ I remember! I left the thermos in that room!" He shot a glare at the scientist. "You took it, didn't you? Where is it?" he demanded.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," Kurotsuchi said innocently, much to the other two taichous' chagrin; Ichigo looked annoyed.

"I'm talking about the thermos," Danny said through gritted teeth, floating to the twelfth division's taichou's face. They were literally nose-to-nose. "_Where is it?_"

"He probably took it to the lab," Ichigo said. "He likes experimenting."

"WAH!" The Box Ghost's loud cry made everyone jump; Danny's head snapped up to look at the ghost.

"What?" he asked.

"The not-square container burst!" the Box Ghost cried. "Horrible monsters from within the not-square dimensions!"

Danny rolled his eyes despite the seriousness of the situation. "Got it, Boxy."

"I am the Box Ghost!"

Danny sighed, releasing another plume of blue mist. He shivered noticeably, scrunching his eyes shut as he tried to suppress the reaction. Once they were reasonably under control, he snapped his eyes open to glare at Kurotsuchi. "I can't say I agree with you taking the thermos to experiment on it without my permission," he began, "but we have a hollow infestation here if what the Box Ghost says is true. We've got two of those Menos Grande and two of those regular hollows around here."

"_Two_?" Hitsugaya's eyes widened. "How many did you catch?"

"Two," Danny repeated. "And two of those smaller hollows." His eyes roved over the Box Ghost, who was right now rooting through a small closet and holding up a small crate in triumph before they met Kurotsuchi's again. He floated up to meet the taichou's gaze evenly. "Where is the thermos?"

What Kurotsuchi would've said no one knew since at that moment a loud roar shook everything in the room. The Box Ghost yelped, dropped the crate he had been waving around like a trophy, and hid behind Danny.

Danny looked slightly pained. "They're on the move."

* * *

The Fright Knight swung at Kenpachi's feet but missed as the shinigami backpedaled. The ghost turned intangible as Kenpachi parried with a thrust. Kenpachi looked grim while he attempted to push the ghost against a wall.

His reiatsu was still assaulting the other members in the room. The Fright Knight's steed was on its knees and its master was moving rather sluggishly, trying to adjust but doing so slowly. His knees kept buckling at odd moments, hindering and helping him.

When Kenpachi swiped at him, the Fright Knight dropped to his knees, locked the taichou's hilt with his own, and sprung to his feet as best as he was able. He twisted the Soul Shredder, trying to wrench Kenpachi's zanpakutou from his hands. Unfortunately, this plan encountered a hitch as Kenpachi's hilt slipped out since it was so small.

The Fright Knight sprang back as Kenpachi retaliated. The Soul Shredder's tip glowed green and the knight slashed the air diagonally, sending an arc of green ecto-energy towards the shinigami. While Kenpachi was preoccupied with the flashy attack, the Fright Knight lunged in for a jab.

All he needed was one cut!

But his plans went awry once more when Kenpachi sidestepped, using his blade to deflect the ectoplasmic attack. Already off-balance from the reiatsu, the Fright Knight rolled to the ground, coming up defensively. He raised his sword just in time to block Kenpachi's; the sound rang through the stone room.

Kenpachi was grinning maniacally, pushing down on the ghost; the Fright Knight was pushing upwards, hindered again by the horrendous pressure bearing down on his shoulders. Then something suddenly changed.

Practically leaping up from the ground, the Fright Knight's eyes blazed with sudden determination. He threw off the sword effortlessly and aimed for Kenpachi's shoulder. The taichou dodged it by a hair's breadth, recalling Fantomu's description of the Soul Shredder's abilities.

No sooner had he done that then the Fright Knight returned with another strike. This he blocked, wondering…

'_What changed?_'

What had changed was that the ghost had finally adjusted to the reiatsu. This was further emphasized when the Fright Knight dodged Kenpachi's newest strike by jumping up and over his head, landing behind him. Kenpachi whirled around just in time for the Soul Shredder to knock off his eye patch, miraculously avoiding his skin.

Suddenly, the reiatsu increased to a debilitating level.

Kenpachi grinned, glowering at the shocked knight out of two perfectly good eyes. "You really shouldn't have done that."

* * *

Covert Ops #2 stopped in front of another door, Hideyoshi and Covert Ops #3 and #4 right behind him. Their leader was elsewhere and the four hoped fervently that he hadn't fallen prey to the dragon that they had released earlier.

"Who's for opening this door?" Covert Ops #2 whispered to the others.

Hideyoshi nodded. "I am. I'm getting some weird readings from in there."

"I got weird readings from that door that ended up having a train behind it," Covert Ops #3 retorted.

"I mean _spiritual_ readings," Hideyoshi said in a hushed tone. "There's dozens of smaller readings in there."

Taking that as a "yes", Covert Ops #2 opened the door, peeking in cautiously. All they saw was the dark and what they felt was damp air. None of them could see further than a foot in front of their nose.

"Go on, Jurou," Hideyoshi said, pushing Covert Ops #2, or Jurou, forward. "We're right behind you."

"Think about how mad Soifon-taichou would be if we don't gather enough information," Covert Ops #4 added.

"All _right_, Katashi," Jurou said under his breath. "I just hope Saburou isn't any major trouble."

"I'm sure he's fine," Hideyoshi said. "He is the leader of this mission after all."

"Just go in," Katashi encouraged. "I don't feel safe standing outside of this room."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Jurou muttered, stepping inside the room. The moment he did so he pitched forward. "Agh!" The sound echoed through the room.

Hideyoshi reached in and grabbed his partner's shirt, saving Jurou from a dastardly fall. "Watch your step!"

"It's a staircase!" Covert Ops #3 hissed. "We might have hit on something big here."

"Then go, Yoshirou," Katashi said, nudging Covert Ops #3, or Yoshirou, in after Jurou. "We're supposed to report back soon, remember?"

The group of four crept down the staircase, each one of them as silent as a mouse. Each one of them made their own observations about where they were.

One thing they all noticed was that it was damp, smelled musty, was cold, and there was the sound of dripping water. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, each one of them hesitated slightly before continuing onwards. The cells aligned at each side of the wall discouraged them.

"It's a dungeon, right?" Hideyoshi whispered, not wanting to raise his voice.

"No, it's a pink house," Jurou replied sarcastically. "Of _course_ it's a dungeon. Now be quiet. We need to be careful here; we don't know what's in those cells."

"Skeletons?" Katashi offered. "I saw something in that one over there." He pointed to a cell that they had just passed.

Curious, they all crept to the bars, peeking in cautiously. What they saw was no skeleton. Rather, it was piles of armor, glinting green in the dim lighting provided by a sole torch with green flames. There were helmets, legs, arms, torsos, etc. None of them wanted to know from what those piles of armors had come from.

"There's nothing here," Jurou said in a low voice. "I don't think we can reach them either."

"There's something at the other end," Yoshirou pointed out. "Why don't you explore these cells and I'll go to the other side. It shouldn't take me long."

"Be back in five minutes," Jurou ordered. "If you're not, we'll assume the worst and head out."

"Yes, sir," Yoshirou murmured, already darting forwards.

During those five minutes, the other five Covert Ops peeked into various cells. At one time they found a great collection of swords, shields, armor ("Again?" Katashi wondered.), and various farm items like pickets that they couldn't figure out why they were there in the first place ("Ran out of swords?" Hideyoshi asked, gazing in amazement at the gleaming pitchfork in the middle of the pile.). In another cell they saw various green and congealed puddles lying around that none of them wanted to inspect ("It smells weird," Hideyoshi complained.).

At the end of the allotted time, none of them could say that they had found anything of use beyond the fact that the master of the castle had a fond use for weapons and liked to look at green puddles. Just when Jurou was about to say that they should head out and leave Yoshirou behind, the aforementioned member appeared, holding something under his arm.

"What did you find?" Jurou demanded, eyeing the thick tome under the Covert Ops' arm.

"A book," Yoshirou said, holding it out to him. "History of The Ghost Zone. I thought it would be important."

"Good work. We'll head out now and report back to Soifon-taichou."

* * *

"I still don't get why you had to take _my_ thermos and experiment on it!" Danny said angrily. He was flying above the shinigamis, who were all racing to get to the scene of the Menos Grande. "And you're so _slow,_" he grumbled in distaste. He was currently flying at ten mph, a pitiful speed compared to how fast he _could_ fly.

"Then why don't you go ahead?" Ichigo suggested, earning himself glares from Hitsugaya and Byakuya.

Danny's green eyes caught sight of something huge and black not a long distance away. It would take maybe ten minutes for the rest of the shinigamis to get there. With his speed he could get there under five minutes.

"Will do!" Danny called down, having made his decision.

"Fantomu!" Hitsugaya snapped. But it was too late. Danny had already become a black and white blur, flying into the direction of the buildings that Kurotsuchi had deposited the thermos in. "Damn it!"

"Watch your mouth!" was the only thing that the small group heard from the flying half-ghost.

"I'm not a child!"

Danny grinned to himself, thinking, '_Yes you are._'

The huge Menos Grande were getting closer. Danny was only halfway up their body and readjusted his flying to shoot up to eye level, turning invisible as he did so. He turned his head sideways to see if the shinigamis were any closer. He saw the four of them rapidly approaching. But with the way the two Menos Grande were moving, it wouldn't be fast enough.

Then Danny saw something that made his ectoplasmic blood run cold. At the two gigantic hollows' feet were two shinigamis. And both were being attacked by two regular classed hollows.

* * *

"We're dead," Riku moaned, quaking so bad that his knees were visible shaking.

"No we're not," Nemu said. "These are just regular hollows. You can handle them."

"Why don't _you_ take a knife and stab them in the mask?" Riku retorted, clutching his zanpakutou as if it were a lifeline. "I've got no training! Zip! Nada! _And _I'm not even a ranked shinigami!"

"The medical supplies are under a mound of rubble," Nemu said calmly, not appearing as if the two approaching hollows were bothering her.

"Then take a stone!" Riku hefted up a big stone and stood up on his knees, hurtling it over the demolished "wall" they were hiding behind.

"Riku!" Nemu scolded, reaching out to stop him.

But it was too late. The stone the foolhardy shinigami had thrown hit the hollow head on in the mask. Unfortunately for the two of them, it didn't do much except make the hollow even madder. Now they had one pissed off hollow on their tail, one hungry hollow on their tail, and two Menos Grande on the rest of Soul Society's tail. Even Nemu had to admit that unless they had help—and fast—even she wouldn't be able to do anything.

The pissed off hollow Riku had hit earlier with the stone leapt over the "wall" they were hiding behind, its gaping mouth opened wide, roaring loudly. Both of them stared into the hollows' mouth, one shinigami petrified and the other calm. They were fully prepared to die—in Nemu's case, anyway—when the hollow suddenly disappeared, being blasted to the ground right in front of them and sending a torrent of dust and rubble on them. Both of the shinigamis were also thrown back two feet by the displaced wind.

With the first hollow flattened, they had a clear view of the second. But then something knocked _that_ hollow back. Something green.

"Oh my God! I am _so_ sorry! Are you guys all right?" Both of them looked up to see a white-haired teenager floating above them, looking down anxiously. He had startling green eyes. "I really didn't have any time to do anything else. I was aiming for those huge hollows when I saw you guys and…" He trailed off, still looking anxious.

Nemu recovered her voice first. "You are Fantomu?"

"Y-yeah." The boy looked surprised that she knew him. "That's me."

"You're floating!" Riku burst out. "And without standing!"

"So?" Fantomu looked puzzled.

Further chat was cut off when the hollows he had knocked down got up. Both of them looked equally pissed. The first roared defiantly at the floating teen.

"SOUL!"

"I'm a ghost!" Fantomu snapped, firing a large stream of that green energy again. "Get that straight, you demented masked freak!"

His attack hit the hollow square in the mask, sending a large crack running straight through it. With a loud roar, the hollow disintegrated.

"That works better than a thermos," both of the shinigamis heard Fantomu mutter. "Why didn't that happen before?"

"MINE!" the second hollow screamed, intending to jump on Fantomu.

"Bad boy! Get down!" Fantomu hit the hollow in the chest, pushing it the other way. He scowled. "Now why didn't that work?"

"Hit the mask," Nemu suggested, seeing what the ghost was alluding to. "When you hit the mask the hollow is purified."

"Gee. That kinda makes sense." Fantomu followed her suggestion, disintegrating the second hollow as well. "Take the head and the rest follows." He looked up to the Gillian, which were moving away. "Now how do I take care of _those_?"

"Do the same," Nemu answered.

"If only it were that easy," they heard him murmur. He looked down at them. "You'll be all right, right?"

"No problem!" Riku said. "Just take care of those Gillians and we'll be fine!"

Just then, one of the Menos Grande opened its mouth, followed soon after by the other one. Deafening roars filled the air as the two hollows fired up a red burst of light in their mouths.

Nemu realized what they were doing before Riku did. "A cero! Quick! You have to stop them!"

"No problem! Already on it." Fantomu nodded once at them before becoming a black and white blur as he sped off to stop the two Menos Grande from destroying a small section of Soul Society. "Stay safe!"

"Hey!" Nemu and Riku turned to see Byakuya, Kurotsuchi, Hitsugaya, and Ichigo arriving. It was Ichigo who had spoken apparently since he was waving. "You two all right?"

"We're fine!" Riku responded, still looking a little dazed from the near miss and his ghostly encounter. He stood up unsteadily next to his fukutaichou.

"Where's Fantomu?" Hitsugaya demanded. "We've got two Gillians on the loose and he—"

"He's facing them, sir," Nemu interrupted. "They're using cero, which was why he flew away."

It was then that a deafening roar nearly burst all their eardrums and shook the ground they were standing on. Riku fell over.

Ichigo spoke, still keeping one hand on his orange hair. "Well, crap."

"Watch your language!" The Box Ghost materialized behind the group of shinigamis, shocking Nemu and Riku.

* * *

"What in the…" The Fright Knight couldn't even finish his sentence. He was too busy trying not to completely buckle under the new pressure from the taichou before him.

"Like I said," Kenpachi said conversationally, "you really shouldn't have done that. That eye patch eats up most of my reiatsu; when you took it off, everything was released."

"Then why…do you keep it…sealed up?" The Fright Knight was slowly raising his head but his shoulders were still bowed.

"Why do you think?" Kenpachi raised his shoulders casually. "It prolongs the fight! It's no fun when my opponent gets squashed immediately! This way, I can keep the fight going for as long as I want."

"You're…insane," the Fright Knight declared.

"People always say that," Kenpachi grumbled. "They never understand that the human being _needs_ blood! Everyone is driven by their instincts, even you! And what do their instincts cry out for? Blood!"

"Now you're…really insane," the Fright Knight said after the taichou was finished with his rambling declaration. "Not everyone desires blood."

Kenpachi raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "Then what are you? Do you just appear in Soul Society and start hacking away at everything because you _don't_ want to? There was a reason that you attacked and it—"

"Was because you had my sword," the Fright Knight interrupted, bending his knees slightly as if testing something.

"And what would you have done after that?"

"Take over the world," the Fright Knight admitted after a moment's thought. "But with_out_ bloodshed."

"How would you have done it otherwise?" Kenpachi asked incredulously. In his opinion, _everything_ was done with bloodshed. It was a pity that Ichigo didn't want to fight anymore…

Wordlessly, the Fright Knight aimed his Soul Shredder at the door behind Kenpachi. A green stream of energy shot out of the tip and hit the door, making it glow green. A moment later, the light dissipated, leaving a mean-looking door with fangs. It snarled angrily at something hiding the two couldn't see.

"That's certainly inventive," Kenpachi complimented. "Does it hop?"

The only reaction the shinigami got from the knight was a narrowing of the eyes as the ghost took his sword back in an offensive position. It looked like the Fright Knight had adjusted faster to the new change in the pressure than Kenpachi had anticipated.

"But of course," Kenpachi said, continuing as if he hadn't seen the change in position, "we should be fighting. From now on," he said, jabbing his unnamed zanpakutou towards the Fright Knight, "no more talking."

"Gladly!" the Fright Knight exclaimed, jumping towards Kenpachi.

Kenpachi sidestepped the attack, retaliating by swinging his zanpakutou at the Fright Knight's unarmed back. His strike was blocked by the quick appearance of the Soul Shredder when the ghost whipped around, expecting the attack. Kenpachi's eyes widened when he saw the sword pass through his own as if it were butter. He was forced to duck ungracefully, the Soul Shredder swinging through the air where his hair had been a moment ago.

Before Kenpachi could raise his sword, the Fright Knight grabbed his wrist, pushing it back. He took a step forward, causing the taichou to step back with the force exerted against his powerful frame. The Fright Knight's sword arm was free and it dove in for a quick stab.

But it missed since Kenpachi twisted his arm suddenly, causing the Fright Knight to lose his grip. With his arm free, he was able to spring to the side, leaving the Soul Shredder to embed itself in the stone. However, any hope he had that the sword would stay embedded vanished because the sword once more slipped through the stone like it wasn't even there.

The Fright Knight grunted, drawing the sword high up over his head before slicing downwards in a wide arc, sending a stream of green energy right at the shinigami. With no time to dodge it, the ectoplasmic attack hit Kenpachi head on, driving him into the wall behind him. Dust rained down on Kenpachi; the Fright Knight's horse whinnied loudly, stamping and snorting at the sudden tremble.

The only reaction that the result got from the Fright Knight was a narrowing of the eyes. And this was all the warning Kenpachi had before another attack hit him head on, propelling him straight through the wall and into the room behind it.

The Fright Knight was dissatisfied with the results. Unlike when he actually _cut_ the victim with his Soul Shredder, the green energy wouldn't send the attacked person to their worst nightmare since it was merely an extension of his own ectoplasmic energy channeled through the sword.

Partly because of the sudden drop of reiatsu in the room, the Fright Knight effortlessly jumped from his spot in the room to the hole in the wall to inspect the damage he had done to Kenpachi. Unfortunately for the Fright Knight and fortunately for Kenpachi, the attack hadn't done more than scorch his coat.

Kenpachi got up slowly, grinning. "Not bad. You've got some power."

The Fright Knight didn't say anything; he merely stood on the pile of rubble that had used to be the wall, his Soul Shredder at his side. But he stiffened slightly, as if Kenpachi's remark offended him.

"This is going to be some fight," Kenpachi remarked.

"You were the one who said no more talking," the Fright Knight finally said.

"Of course." Kenpachi inclined his head. "Time to follow up on that."

The shinigami sprung at the ghost, bringing his sword down upon the Fright Knight's head. The Soul Shredder was up in a flash, blocking the zanpakutou from cleaving his helmet in two. Or perhaps it would just create a horrible noise. In any case, neither of them would find out since the ghost threw Kenpachi off, no easy feat.

Before Kenpachi could regain his balance properly, the Fright Knight was once more upon him, his blade weaving through the air so fast that it was singing. But the taichou was just as fast, blocking the ghost's every move. Only once did the sword come close to nicking his skin but it caught his clothes instead much to the Fright Knight's frustration.

That one cut just kept eluding him!

The Fright Knight's eyes narrowed minutely as he tried to pinpoint Kenpachi's weakness. As far as he could tell, the shinigami was very good at swordplay, having blocked him for this much. He was also quick on his feet, a necessity for close combat. But he did see that Kenpachi favored fighting with only one hand. That could be turned to his advantage…

He ducked a strike from the shinigami's zanpakutou and twisted around, his Soul Shredder cleaving the air after him. The blade gleamed green—its natural color—and he held the grip with two hands as he collided with the taichou's blade. The added strength of both his arms caused Kenpachi to loosen his grip momentarily. It was only for a second but that second was enough for the Fright Knight to twist the sword right out of Kenpachi's hand.

And before Kenpachi knew what had hit him, the Fright Knight knocked his sword's hilt right in his chest, a flare of green energy scalding his skin and sending him straight into another wall and into the next room, which was just as bare as the previous except for a lone wooden chair that was squashed under the taichou's huge frame.

The Fright Knight followed instantly after and waited for Kenpachi's next move.

But it never came…

* * *

**EDIT (03/29/10):** I'm surprised that nobody caught my mistake about Danny's ghost sense being exclusive to him. In any case, I fixed that.

**The fight between those two was so hard to write! If you're wondering, the Soul Shredder was turned intangible to move through the stone. Kenpachi just didn't see it.  
**

**I would appreciate it if you guys could check out my new one-shots. Comments would be nice. :D **

**And then of course, the infamous REVIEW PLEASE!**


	15. Defeated

**Thanks to _Hyperpegasi, GhostKing666, Garnet Sky, PLC the CD_, **_**MaxRideNut . logout**_**, _Vi, SpartanCommander, mimifoxlove,_ and _Piece of Toast_ for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own either shows.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Defeated**

* * *

"So let me get this straight. Fantomu is a spirit who calls himself a ghost, has weird abilities, is visible to humans like we are, and is from our place?" Walker summarized.

"Yep," Zennosuke affirmed.

"He has white hair?" Walker guessed, observing how Sam and Tucker were looking. They both appeared rather nervous.

"I think he does but I've never actually seen him so I can't be sure."

Sam couldn't take it anymore. "What are you guys talking about?" she burst out.

"Is this Fantomu also known as Phantom?" Walker continued, ignoring Sam.

Zennosuke was mildly confused. " 'Phantom' is an English translation for 'fantomu', if I'm not mistaken. Why?"

"We know him as Phantom," Bullet said. "So this is where he disappeared to," he muttered to Walker.

Sam smacked her forehead, guessing from Bullet's comment that they had just revealed Danny's secret. She shared a look with Tucker, relieved that she had only used a translation for Danny's real ghost name. That could be easily explained.

Zennosuke noted the look between the teens. "You guys know why this is?"

Walker repeated this question, curious, too.

Sam sighed. She only hoped that Danny hadn't said anything that would make this seem like an obvious lie. "I figured that he should fit in with the Japanese so I translated his name: Phantom into Fantomu." She stared curiously at a spot five feet wide from where the shinigami actually was. "Did you understand me?"

"That does make sense," Zennosuke said. He then looked at the ghosts. "Do you understand everything now?"

"Uh, I don't get why we've got to go to this…Soul Society," a goon said.

"Are you incredibly slow or something?" Zennosuke said insultingly.

"What did he say?" Tucker inquired, wanting to know more.

"He insulted me," the goon grumbled disbelievingly much to Tucker's mystification and Sam's amusement.

"I already said that Fantomu is in Soul Society," Zennosuke said slowly, "and you guys seem to have trouble at home involving hollows. If you really came from the same place as Fantomu—which I can believe—you can talk it over with Fantomu and come to a solution."

"What's _your_ motive?" Walker asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" Zennosuke answered too innocently.

"Why are you worried about _our_ town?" Walker elaborated. "You don't even live there!"

* * *

Sam and Tucker shared frustrated looks as they had no idea what the ghosts were talking about. It had everything to do with them and they didn't even have the convenience of a translator since the ghosts had seemingly forgotten that they were even there.

"Should we butt in?" Tucker whispered to Sam, watching the ghosts carry on a seemingly one-sided conversation with a wall. "We need to find out what's going on with Danny and if the ghosts are going in or not."

"How 'bout we wait 'til they finish and then butt in," Sam whispered back. "Besides, I doubt that the ghosts have decided anything yet because we'd have heard it."

"Good point," Tucker acknowledged. "But what if it's too late and they just disappear?"

"It won't be," Sam said determinedly. "We _have_ to go with them. We have to find out what's going on with him!"

"We can't see that guy they're talking with," Tucker protested quietly. "How are we to know what he says if Walker doesn't tell us? And then how are we supposed to find Danny? Soul Society could be huge!"

"I _know_, Tucker!" Sam whispered agitatedly. "But we can see_ them_!" She pointed to the ghosts. "If they disappear suddenly we know where they've gone."

"And how are _we_ to get there?"

"I don't know!"

"That's just great!" Tucker said in a hushed voice. "How do _you_ propose we—"

"Shh!" Sam hissed, cutting him off and pointing a finger to her ear.

Tucker got the message and the two tuned into the conversation once more, trying to decipher what was going on with just the ghosts' replies to draw on.

* * *

"Hollows are everyone's problem," Zennosuke said in answer to Walker's question.

"Maybe so," Walker agreed, "but that's not everything. You're still hiding something."

"So are you. What's the deal with the soup can you're holding?"

Walker gritted his teeth and threw the Fenton Thermos to Sam, who just barely managed to catch it. "Answer the question," he demanded.

"Fine." Zennosuke put his hands up in a peace gesture upon seeing a few goons raise their batons threateningly. "If you really have to know, it's not exactly the wisest choice to stay here where no one knows who you guys are."

"Where we come from we're not exactly loved either," Bullet said before Walker could.

"That may be but your high reiatsu is bound to attract more hollows. And those hollows will cause a heck of a lot trouble before you manage to subdue them. And then Karakura Town—which is where you are now—will be put on the map—figuratively. Soul Society will _not_ like the attention," Zennosuke argued.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" Walker retorted.

"Our problem is your problem," Zennosuke shot back, "since you're also spirits."

"We're _ghosts_," Bullet objected.

"Ghosts, spirits, whatever. You're still not _human_," Zennosuke pointed out. "People will notice pale white people or green suited goons floating around. And they'll start talking. Maybe even the scientists will be called in and then they'll try to capture you."

"Let them try," Walker challenged much to Sam's and Tucker's bemusement. "We've got stuff in our arsenal that they can't match."

"For how long?" Zennosuke was starting to get impatient and although he wouldn't admit it, slightly fearful. "Soon they'll call in the big people and things will _really_ start to get hot. Even you guys probably can't stand up to nuclear bombs."

"I doubt your government would use such a devastating bomb on a city filled with citizens," Walker said slyly.

"Would you risk it?" Zennosuke glared at Walker.

Walker's grin widened. "Why shouldn't I? More space for me."

At this, Zennosuke blanched and Sam and Tucker were looking _really_ confused.

"Do we want to know?" Tucker muttered to Sam.

"It sounds awful so I'm guessing no," Sam answered in a low voice.

"Are you even benevolent?" Zennosuke was still looking rather white.

"Why no."

"That was a rhetorical question!" Zennosuke snapped. "Now are you going to come in or not?"

"Well, if it _is_ Phantom, I don't really see the harm," Bullet said to Walker. "You still have charges against him."

"Wait—what?" Zennosuke had caught the last few words. "You have charges against Fantomu? For what?"

"Carrying real-world contraband into the Ghost Zone, organizing a rebellion and breaking out of prison, resisting arrest, and organizing a rebellion," Walker rattled off.

"You said 'organizing a rebellion' twice," Zennosuke pointed out, scratching his wild hair.

"I know." Walker grinned. "It's the main offense against Phantom."

"But that's just unlawful!" Sam protested, hearing what Walker had said about her friend. "He had no clue about those stupid rules! It was his first time even going into the Ghost Zone!" Then she clapped a hand over her mouth, shocked at what she had just revealed. That was a big hole in Danny's story. Maybe Zennosuke hadn't noticed…

"Smooth, Sam," Tucker hissed, really hoping that the shinigami—wherever he was—hadn't noticed Sam's drastic slipup.

But unfortunately for the two, who couldn't even see or hear him, Zennosuke _had_ heard the Goth's words and linked it with the story Danny had related to the taichous. And it didn't make sense at all. "Would you mind repeating that, please?" he demanded.

* * *

_The Fright Knight followed instantly after and waited for Kenpachi's next move._

_ But it never came…_

The Fright Knight narrowed his eyes, crouching forward slightly to check whether or not the taichou was feinting. But it seemed real enough. He still didn't put away his Soul Shredder, though, as he didn't trust Kenpachi as far as he could throw him—which was far.

Nightmare whinnied and stomped, baring his nightmarish teeth. The room shook under the ghost-horse's hooves.

"Wait, Nightmare," the Fright Knight said softly, still watching Kenpachi. "We can't be too sure."

Another few agonizing minutes later and the Fright Knight was ready to declare the fight his and leave Kenpachi there. It was no fun sending an unconscious enemy to their worst nightmare. After all, they wouldn't even experience it! But then something happened.

Kenpachi stirred and groaned slightly, gradually propping himself up on one elbow and staring at the Fright Knight. "You didn't finish me off when you had the chance?" he asked disbelievingly. "I was out!"

"A knight's code of ethics declares that we don't strike enemies down when they are senseless," the Fright Knight declared, assuming a battle stance with his fiery cape billowing out behind him. "If you were dead I would have left you and if you had remained senseless just a little longer I would have dropped you out of my abode."

"Cut the crap," Kenpachi snapped, getting to his feet and stretching his shoulders. He glared at the ghost. "You and I both know that ethics are ridiculous when it comes to fighting."

"You perhaps but not I," the Fright Knight contradicted. "You are not a knight, I presume?"

"I'm a shinigami," Kenpachi growled. "I thought we got that straight."

"I am not familiar with the term 'shinigami'," the Fright Knight said. "It could be another translation of 'knight'."

"Sorry to burst your bubble but do you see me wearing armor and wielding a big, fancy sword?"

"But you do wield a sword."

"It's a zanpakutou!" Kenpachi said. He narrowed his eyes. "Are you so exhausted that you're stalling me? You should know that I'm recovering in these minutes, too."

"I know," the Fright Knight replied coolly.

"Then why are you just waiting around?"

"Perhaps because I'm enjoying the sight behind you," the Fright Knight said cryptically.

Before Kenpachi could turn around to see what the ghost was talking about, a powerful force kicked him from behind and sent him flying towards the Fright Knight. The Halloween ghost turned intangible and let him land in the room adjoining that one.

"That horse isn't part of the fight!" Kenpachi protested, coming back into view. He looked angry.

"Horses are as much as part of the fight as our swords are," the Fright Knight responded, jumping on the wreckage of the former wall. "And in this case, my loyal steed is my best partner."

"I don't see you riding it," Kenpachi retorted. He then jumped towards him with his sword upraised.

The Fright Knight quickly blocked by raising his Soul Shredder. While Kenpachi was struggling to break through the ghost's defenses, the Fright Knight's eyes flared purple and he shot two beams out of them into Kenpachi's chest. It knocked the shinigami back, his chest smoking.

"Purple eye beams?" Kenpachi sneered. "Surely you can do better than that."

The Fright Knight revealed nothing other than a narrowing of the eyes. He drew his Soul Shredder to his left and the tip flared green; the blade slashed through the air diagonally, releasing a green arc of energy that Kenpachi ducked. Kenpachi expected what happened next: the Fright Knight leapt towards him to catch him off guard. Unfortunately for the Fright Knight, Kenpachi locked the Soul Shredder's hilt with his zanpakutou and twisted the sword right out of the ghost's hands. Grinning insanely now that he had the upper hand, Kenpachi pushed against the Fright Knight, throwing him backwards.

The knight slid several feet before coming to a halt and using his bare hands to stop Kenpachi's zanpakutou from piercing his chest plate. Both of them were now using their raw strength to try and outdo the other.

The Fright Knight would first gain a foot and then Kenpachi. The Fright Knight…Kenpachi…the Fright Knight…Kenpachi…the Fright—you get the picture. Finally, completely fed up with the stalemate, the ghost of Halloween's eyes flared purple once more, firing purple beams at Kenpachi's chest.

Even though Kenpachi had ample warning to try and dodge this time, the ghost's grip on his weapon prevented him from dodging completely. The attack from the Fright Knight hit him on the shoulder, knocking the shinigami to the side. With him temporarily off-balance, the Fright Knight leapt for his Soul Shredder, grabbed it, and rolled to his feet, ready to knock aside Kenpachi.

He did so, thrusting Kenpachi's zanpakutou to the side and coming up with a fist to punch him in the gut. The force left the taichou staggering for only a moment but that was plenty of time for the Fright Knight to use his right leg and kick him in the side. The powerful kick threw Kenpachi into a stone wall and it collapsed, burying him under rubble.

The Fright Knight waited only for half a minute before checking up on his opponent. When he reached it, he stopped short, his sword still up but completely surprised.

Quite the contrary, it was not the sight of Kenpachi that stopped him motionless before the demolished wall. Rather, it was the sight in the hallway that had him surprised.

* * *

The small group of Covert Ops slipped out of the strange, damp dungeon and entered the main area of the castle with the hundreds of doors with traps behind them. They had the book Yoshirou had found with them and were now only concerned with finding their leader, who could be anywhere in the gloomy castle.

"Any tips on how to find Saburou?" Hideyoshi asked quietly, slinking along a wall behind his companions. "We really can't search every single level, can we?"

"We don't find him like that," Yoshirou answered just as quietly, right before Hideyoshi. "In case you've forgotten, Hideyoshi, we have a meeting place, remember?"

"Outside of the castle," Hideyoshi said. "How are we to get out there without even a window or a map to point our way?"

"There're windows _somewhere_ in this place," Katashi said reasonably. "We came in through a window."

"But we haven't seen any besides those windows on the outside," Hideyoshi said worriedly. "And most of them were slits. We were lucky to find that one big window to slip in through."

"If this is a castle, and I was master of it, where would I keep big windows?" Jurou wondered, leading the tiny group. "We entered a big hall on the lowest floor, didn't we?"

"We haven't found any stairs yet, have we?" Katashi gave a white door a wide breach since it looked suspiciously like it was made out of bones. "And aren't we on the third floor?"

"What's weird is that this guy has a _dungeon_ on the _third_ floor," Jurou muttered disbelievingly. "Aren't dungeons supposed to be located on the _lowest_ floor?"

"It _was_ low," Katashi objected. "There was that big staircase. He probably wanted an unusual floor plan. It's odd enough with all these rooms, though."

"I wonder what's in this book," Yoshirou said, changing the subject. He shifted the heavy tome in his arms. "I've never heard of this Ghost Zone before."

"No. But who here has heard of spirits actually visible to mortal men outside of gigais?" Katashi reminded him. "There's something fishy about this whole thing. I'd bet anything that the spirit of this castle is from the Ghost Zone if a tome about it is here."

"Kurotsuchi-taichou is going to go nuts," Hideyoshi commented, thinking about the twelfth division's taichou's fondness for experimenting.

"Which is why he can't know," Yoshirou said sharply. "This tome goes straight to Soifon-taichou and after that most likely to Yamamoto-taichou. If Kurotsuchi-taichou got even a hand on this thing we wouldn't see it until next year. Assuming if ever," he added after a second's thought.

"You've got a point," Hideyoshi admitted. "I was just making an observation, though."

"Shh!" Jurou warned them. "I think I hear something."

"What?" Katashi asked, listening intently.

"Can't you hear something that sounds like swords?"

The four of them listened intently and found that they could indeed hear clanging. They crept closer to one stone wall that seemed to be the source. They hesitated then.

"Do we lay our ears on it to see if it's coming from in there?" Hideyoshi said.

"No!" Yoshirou whispered fiercely. "If we did that who knows what could happen! For all we know the wall could just bury us all. Then where would we be?"

"Who died and made you leader?" Katashi asked.

"I'm higher ranked than any of you here," Yoshirou said. "The leader of this mission is Saburou but since he isn't here at the moment that puts me in charge. Everyone clear with that?"

Once they'd all agreed rather reluctantly Yoshirou continued. "I don't think we should sneak any closer. We can just report back that there's some fighting going on within the castle's own guard. After all, we were the ones assigned to investigate this castle and no one else was."

"So we're _allegedly_ the only ones from Soul Society here," Jurou said. "There could be someone else who snuck in. Zaraki-taichou likes to go against orders, you know."

"If it were him we'd know, wouldn't we?" Yoshirou shot back. "He's got insane reiatsu."

Before they could debate the matter any further, the whole stone wall cracked and collapsed down. They all jumped back a few feet, extremely thankful that Yoshirou had stopped them from creeping any closer. Then they inspected what had made the stone wall collapse in the first place.

What they saw horrified and shocked them at the same time. Standing right in front of them was a flaming knight with a huge purple cape and a purple flame on top of his helmet. He held a long green sword and seemed to be staring at them, too, out of green eyes. What shocked them was the white robe they saw under the stones. It was one of their taichous!

"Who are you?" Katashi demanded in a brave voice, although he was inwardly shaking slightly.

"I should be asking _you_ that, intruders," the knight snapped, making them all cringe. "You are in _my_ abode, uninvited."

"Yeah, but you're sitting on top of _our_ home," Yoshirou argued. "So it's fair to say we're even."

"Very well." The knight straightened. "I am the Fright Knight, ghost of Halloween."

The four Covert Ops members gawked at him, not sure whether or not to take him for his word or laugh out loud. They opted for neither since he seemed like he could pack a mean punch.

"How can you be a ghost of Halloween?" Jurou asked skeptically. "You don't look like a pumpkin or anything. Are you sure you're not made up of spirits from departed knights?"

"I am a _ghost_," the Fright Knight said menacingly. "The ghost of Halloween." He then took a step closer, cracking a stone under his weight. "Don't _ever_ mention pumpkins in my presence again," he added in a low voice.

"Fine." Jurou stood his ground but mentally made a note to not aggravate the scary knight unnecessarily.

"Why are you floating above Soul Society? And more importantly, how did you manage to get inside the shield?" Katashi demanded. Yoshirou was sneaking behind him to disguise the fact that he was holding a tome belonging to the ghost.

"I know of no shield," the Fright Knight stated. "And your Soul Society I could care less about. I had no intention of arriving here. That accursed Nai Samurai will pay when I find him."

Then, before any of the Covert Ops could interrogate him further, the rubble beneath the ghost's feet shifted slightly. An arm poked through.

"You still didn't kill me?" a familiar voice asked. "You're pathetic."

Hideyoshi started. "Zaraki-taichou! Should've known."

The Fright Knight stepped on Kenpachi's arm brutally, causing a pained grunt. "Since you are no longer senseless, I can now finish this fight on fair terms."

"Fair terms? He's buried under a mound of rubble!" Jurou protested indignantly.

"He's conscious," the Fright Knight said blandly, his sword's tip flaring green. "It's much more enjoyable when the victim is conscious."

"What's much more enjoyable?" Katashi said nervously.

"Ha!" Kenpachi's head poked through the rubble, completely smeared with dirt and rather scratched up. "Looks like you're not a complete idiot after all. You like torturing your victims to death?" His sword arm broke through as well. "Not going to happen!"

Just as Kenpachi's arm swiped through the air, aiming for the Fright Knight's feet, the ghost leaped up, his feet glowing green. He threw himself forward as he jumped up, bringing his legs around. The ectoplasm searing at his feet left them as he flipped, crashing into the stunned shinigami below him and creating a huge hole where Kenpachi had lain.

The Covert Ops were so stunned at what just happened that Yoshirou nearly dropped the book he was holding. Was…Kenpachi just defeated?

* * *

_"Would you mind repeating that, please?" he demanded._

"Is he—is he saying anything?" Sam inquired the ghosts nervously.

"Tell them!" Zennosuke ordered. "I'd like to make sense of this whole thing. Are they saying that Fantomu had never been in this…Ghost Zone before being arrested? How can that be? He's supposed to be from that place!"

"This is getting really annoying," Walker grumbled, but he related the shinigami's message to the teens.

Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself to relate something that was similar to their dimension and that would hopefully cover up her mistake. "You see…while Danny—or Fantomu—is from a different dimension from we are, there are actually _two_ worlds in his dimension. The Ghost Zone and the human realm. The Ghost Zone is where the ghosts like Walker are from and the human realm was where Danny resided."

"But if he's a ghost, shouldn't he have stayed with the ghosts?" Zennosuke asked suspiciously.

Walker rolled his eyes upward and glared at Bullet. He then took over role of translator. "He'd like to know why Phantom never stays with us."

Tucker jumped in for this question before Sam could. "He was more of a protector of the human realm there. The ghosts of the Ghost Zone terrorized the human realm, much like the invisible monsters here."

"Hollows, I presume?" Zennosuke corrected.

"Hollows?" Bullet prompted.

"Hollows," Tucker confirmed.

"How do you know this anyway?" Zennosuke interrogated. "You guys aren't from the same place and yet you know so much?"

"We're friends, duh!" Sam said exasperatedly after Bullet related. "What kind of friends don't share secrets? Speaking of which, do you even _have_ friends? Because if you don't, it'd explain why you couldn't jump to such an obvious answer."

"Sam!" Tucker scolded, slightly shocked at his friend's outburst. He could never imagine speaking out so rudely against an invisible shinigami. The guy had a sword!

"I. Don't. Care," Sam enunciated clearly, folding her arms and glaring a spot five feet clear of Zennosuke. The shinigami thought that the glare would be much scarier if she was actually glaring at the right place. "The guy needs to learn some respect."

Zennosuke's eyebrows flew up. "For whom?"

"Us!" Sam shouted after Bullet's translation.

"I don't get how he's being disrespectful," Tucker whispered to Sam. "He's just pointing out flaws, Sam."

Sam huffed angrily. "Fine!" She glared again at the same spot five feet to the right of Zennosuke. "Any other questions?"

"A few more," Zennosuke said slowly. "Why do you guys call him Danny, the sp—ghosts call him Phantom, and we call him Fantomu?"

Bullet was about to answer this question himself, regardless of the fact that he didn't know why Danny had a weird foreign name, but Sam beat him to the punch. "What did he say in answer to that question of mine?"

"He wants to know about the names," Walker said, folding his arms. "And to be honest, I'd like to be informed more clearly on that last name, too."

"We call him Danny because he's Danny to us," Sam said slowly, thinking it through carefully so as to not slip up. "That's his…regular name. The ghosts call him Phantom because they're on more formal terms with him. Formal being enemies," she added in case Zennosuke didn't get it. "And I've already said this before: I dubbed him Fantomu here in Japan because it's a direct translation of 'phantom', which is his formal name. So he introduced himself as Fantomu to you guys."

"And one more question," Zennosuke continued. "Where's that third kid? I heard there are three of you guys, not including the kid in Soul Society right now."

"Shikyo, you mean?" Sam stalled for time.

"Yes, the _death_ kid," Zennosuke said.

' _"Death"?_' Tucker wondered, shooting a glance at Sam.

"He's sick," Sam said coolly, sticking to the story she had told Ichigo's friends. "We were on our way home to check how he's doing when we ran into Walker and then you."

"Is that all?" Tucker added, sincerely hoping it was. He was getting tired of talking to seemingly no one. And he had a suspicion that the ghosts were editing Zennosuke's comments, making it more difficult for the two of them to gauge his reaction to their news. They couldn't tell the ghosts to _exactly_ explain what he said since they'd want to know why and they couldn't explain too well in front of an invisible gh—no, _spirit_.

"It should be," Zennosuke answered after a moment's thought. He pointed to the ghosts. "Now you guys are going to come in, right? It's crucial that you do so if you want to take care of what's going on back home."

'_What on earth is he saying?_' Sam and Tucker thought, frustrated. '_And the ghosts won't explain either!_'

"Take care of what's going on at home how?" Walker asked. "You live _here_ and we live _there._"

'_We live in a different dimension!_' Tucker thought worriedly. '_How is this going to work? We can't just jump in and say that!_'

"But '_there_' is in America," Zennosuke pointed out. "We have connections there, too, you know."

"Walker." Bullet floated next to the warden. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to go in and check it out. The Ghost Zone is being overrun."

"I know," Walker muttered, turning back to the shinigami.

He announced, "We'll come in."

Sam immediately jumped to the right conclusion. "For how long? You have no idea what on earth they'll do to you! For all we know, they could—they could"—her voice dropped to a whisper—"_experiment_ on you! Do you want that?"

"No," Walker said simply, glaring at the Goth. "But we've got to go in and see what we can do about those lawbreakers in the Ghost Zone. They're destroying everything. Besides, we can take care of ourselves."

"Yes. So much that Danny defeats you singlehandedly," Sam replied sarcastically.

"_With_ your help," Walker shot back much to Zennosuke's bafflement. "The punk would never have accomplished anything without those ridiculous inventions and you."

"Are you finished?" Zennosuke jumped in, completely baffled at their argument. Apparently Fantomu had a reputation… And how did those two manage to help him when he was from a different dimension? Maybe something was wrong with his ears.

"We are," Walker snapped, shooting Sam and Tucker another glare. "Take us in to talk to the punk. But if we happen to come to blows don't tell me I didn't warn you."

Zennosuke looked rather alarmed at that but nodded. Before either Sam or Tucker could get a word in edgewise about protesting the ghosts' decision, he had opened the portal to Soul Society. The purple goo invited them in.

"Ugh." Zennosuke winced with disgust. "I've never had to go through this way before but we don't really have a choice." He shot a look at Walker and Bullet and then inspected the nervous goons. "You ready?"

"Lead the way," Walker said, looking pained at the thought of having to let someone else put _him_ away. That was his job!

"Wait!" Sam cried out, jumping forward to restrain the ghost.

But before either of them could reach a ghost and stop them, they had vanished. Now how were they to get to Soul Society?

* * *

Danny zipped to the Menos Grande at 150 mph, mouth set in a grim line. He had no idea how to defeat these hollows.

Sure, hit the mask. He could do that just fine (who could miss a target like that?) Well, his dad probably could...

But defeating those small hollows had not been as easy as he'd made it seem. Those masks were so tough that he'd had to fire each ghost ray at almost maximum power. With the Menos Grande he'd be lucky to even make a dent.

'_Would ice work?_' he wondered. Then he remembered the shinigamis and the situation he was in. '_Right. I'd better have as many surprises up my sleeve as I can. They heard my Ghostly wail already. But I'd rather not give Dr. Jekyll any more reasons to dissect me since he hasn't seen it._'

His mind still running over his options, he was rudely jerked back to reality by a growing heat above his head. Danny fearfully looked up before his jaw dropped open in horror. The Menos Grande had combined their ceros and were leaving him no more time to plan.

He quickly made a split-second decision that he hoped wouldn't backfire on him. But it would require subtlety of the sort he wasn't used to. Biting his lip, Danny put both his hands in front of him. He closed his eyes in concentration and the outer edges of his gloves started to glow green.

He was well aware of the impending doom sentence firing over his head. Beads of sweat trickling down his temple, he made the ectoplasm around his hands stronger. Meanwhile, the middle of his white gloves glowed blue.

Then, just when the two Gillian released their attack, Danny released his. The blend of his ice ray and normal ghost ray was almost indiscernible because of how his ecto-ray covered the ice. The giveaway was the blue glow barely visible. He hoped that none of the shinigamis had incredible eyesight.

The ghost ray smoldered the edges of the giant cero while the ice ate away at the inside, freezing the energy and melting at the same time. And all the while it was gradually pushing the cero back, causing the hollows to roar louder.

Panting and praying that it wouldn't die on him, Danny pushed further, annihilating the cero as he did so. It soon progressed so far that it destroyed the origin with a violent shockwave, blowing Danny's hair back and pushing the hollows apart.

"One disaster evaded," Danny gasped, rubbing his hands together, "and another to go. I wish my thermos were here."

His hands were smoking slightly, courtesy of using polar opposites at the same time. The ice and the ectoplasm had made a great team but Danny was wiped out from using both so delicately. He knew he didn't have enough energy for a powerful enough ecto-ray to smash their masks.

"_Getsuga tenshou_!" It looked like his problem was solved with Ichigo's arrival.

A familiar crescent sliced through the air, hurtling towards the Gillians. It destroyed one before destroying the other, freeing Danny and the rest of Soul Society from their threat.

Danny thanked his stars that he hadn't had to face the Menos Grande himself but grimaced inwardly at the thought of returning to the shinigamis with the Box Ghost. He reluctantly returned, plastering a grin on his face. "Hey."

The shinigamis—the taichous, that is—stared at him coldly.

"We need to talk," Hitsugaya stated.

The Box Ghost appeared over Danny's shoulder. "Beware!"

"With him," Byakuya added.

* * *

_Was…Kenpachi just defeated?_

All the Covert Ops could do was gape at the spot where the taichou had lain. They couldn't believe that the infamous Zaraki Kenpachi had just been _defeated_ by a _knight._ The very idea seemed ludicrous! But there the proof was, right before their very eyes.

"T-taichou!" Jurou stammered, wide-eyed. '_What just—what just happened?_'

All of them looked in disbelief at the spot where Kenpachi had lain. There was a huge, smoking hole at the Fright Knight's feet leading to the bottom floor.

"Excuse me for one small second. I will be back shortly to deal with you," the Fright Knight promised.

But before he could follow through on his promise, a small black blur beat him to it. The blur stopped in front of the ghost and materialized to reveal a pink-haired shinigami.

"Fukutaichou!" All the Covert Ops gawked at Yachiru. But of course she _always_ tagged along with Kenpachi so why should this be any different?

"Thank you for giving Ken-chan such a fun fight," Yachiru said sincerely. "I haven't seen him have that much fun in a while."

The Fright Knight looked simply staggered, only managing an eloquent "Hmm?"

The Covert Ops were much more composed, having seen this before. But they were still in shock regarding Kenpachi's defeat.

"And your horse is real cute!" Yachiru continued, smiling brightly.

What the Fright Knight would've said to that they never found out because Yachiru left then, dropping through the hole. She reappeared a second later, holding an unconscious Kenpachi.

"Later, then!" Yachiru vanished in a blur, leaving a baffled Fright Knight with four nervous Covert Ops.

"Don't fight," Yoshirou cautioned them quietly. "We're supposed to report back, not disappear forever."

"So we run?" Hideyoshi asked.

"Preferably," Yoshirou responded.

"He's looking at us," Katashi hissed, shifting into a flight-or-flee stance.

"Perhaps now you can answer my question," the Fright Knight began, taking a step closer. "What are you doing in my abode?"

"Run!" Yoshirou ordered. "And don't look back!"

Heeding his order, the Covert Ops scrammed, escaping so quickly that the Fright Knight would've missed it if he had blinked. As it was, he immediately set chase, determined not to let them slip through his fingers the way the other two had.

This was not good…

* * *

Outside of a humble shop a small black-haired girl with large bangs was sweeping the outside. She looked frail and sweet with huge violet eyes. There was no one else there with her it seemed.

Suddenly a large, blue net shot out of nowhere and trapped her, pushing backwards into the shop's wall. She hadn't made a sound.

"Ha!" Skulker appeared out of thin air, looking quite pleased with himself. "I, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter, have made another fine catch! It is…"—he looked at the bound girl—"…a girl?" The ghost frowned and looked at his arm. "Funny. This here says that you are a weak spirit but you seem to be a human."

"Ah," was all the girl said. "Um, who are you?"

"I am Skulker!" Skulker proclaimed, setting aside his arm. "Surely you have heard of me before?"

"No," she said simply.

"Hmm." Skulker scratched his chin. "I was hoping for a 'Yes! I know who you are!' but I suppose that's too much. Are you not frightened of me?"

"Should I be?"

"Disappointing," Skulker muttered, rummaging around his person for a moment. "And I was so hoping for a change from these!" He pulled out a hollow mask and studied it for a moment.

"You—you collect hollow masks?" the girl asked, stunned. "How?"

"Ururu!" A boy with red hair poked his head out through the door. "_Ururu!_ Damn it! Is she slacking off again?"

Ururu turned her head. "Jinta-kun!"

Jinta found her in the net and bent down in front of her. "What are you doing in a net, stupid head?"

"Look above," Ururu said, pointing a finger above Jinta's red hair.

Jinta scowled. "Why—"

"Look," Ururu interrupted him.

Grumbling, Jinta turned around. His jaw promptly dropped as he saw the solid ghost floating before him. "What the—?"

"He's got a hollow mask," Ururu added in a low voice. "I think he collects them."

"Where'd you get that mask?" Jinta blurted. "And what are you? I've never seen a spirit like you before!"

Skulker frowned. "Why does everyone always call me a spirit here? I'm a ghost! As for how I got this mask"—he waved it around—"I'm a hunter. It's what I do. But lately this job has been getting rather boring."

"Hunting hollows is boring?" Jinta looked disbelieving for a moment before breaking out in a grin. "Cool! Do you play baseball?"

"No. Do I look like a major league player to you?" Skulker folded his arms and glared at the boy. "I hunt, boy. I don't play."

"But you could," Jinta hinted.

"Jinta! Are you bothering Ururu again?" A large man with a moustache and sunglasses came out of the shop to glare at the red-haired boy. "And why aren't you sweeping the outside?"

"Look, Tessai!" Jinta shouted, waving his arms frantically while pointing to Skulker.

"Hmm?" Tessai looked and appeared absolutely astonished. He turned back to the shop and bellowed, "TENCHOU!"

All Skulker could do was look mystified and wonder what was going on.

* * *

**EDIT (03/29/10):** So "boss" is now "tenchou".

**So now Urahara is dragged into the mix. What would _Bleach_ be without that crazy ex-taichou? My apologies if it seemed kind of rushed.**

**What about the tome that Yoshirou is holding? Will the shinigamis think that it's the mysterious book Sam was talking about? You'll have to find out!  
**

**I hoped you liked this long chapter. REVIEW PLEASE!  
**


	16. In Between

**I might be jumping around a lot here but I wanted to include a bit of everything. Over 5,000 words isn't bad, right? Anyway, enjoy!**

**Thanks to _Belthasar, Hyperpegasi, GhostWhoNevrLies, SpartanCommander, Adriannrod Svit-Kona Sama, ImmortalPhantom22, Princess Serena til Universo, GreenAwesomeness,_ and _YellowString _for reviewing the last chapter!**

**_YellowString_: **If you leave an e-mail address I can reply personally but this should work just as well. I'm glad that my grammar and spelling are okay. I try to read through my chapters properly before posting but there's always the odd mistake that slips through. "OOC" stands for "out of character"; "senpai" is one Japanese term of many for addressing someone. It can mean "senior (at work or school), superior, or elder". If I would use it, I'd write it like this: Ichigo-senpai. Hope that helps. Thanks for reading this story. I hope you continue to read. Thanks for understanding, too.**  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach _nor _Danny Phantom_. **

* * *

**Chapter 16: In-Between**

* * *

"I don't get why you guys need the Box Ghost around, too," Danny said conversationally, trying to seem nonchalant. He wasn't sure if he was pulling it off, though. They were now in a big airy room with absolutely no furniture. It was unusually light, something that put Danny off. He had expecting a darker room for the interrogation.

"Perhaps he can answer questions that you can't," Hitsugaya answered.

"Good luck with that," Danny muttered, knowing it was near impossible to get a coherent statement from the blue ghost that didn't have something to do with boxes.

"Wait a minute!" Ichigo pointed accusingly at the Box Ghost. "You're the _Box Ghost_!"

Danny stared at him, confused. "I thought we made that clear…"

"You're that ghost that was trying to bury me under the mound of boxes!" Ichigo continued, glaring and pointing now. "The one that can't even do simple mathematics!"

"Beware?" It sounded more like a question than the usual bluster from the Box Ghost.

"You know him, too?" Hitsugaya looked from the nervous Box Ghost to Ichigo.

"From a five minute meeting where he tried to pass off the notion that he was worth more than some plant dude!"

"Undergrowth?" Danny glanced curiously at the Box Ghost.

"That's the—"

"Does this have anything to do with the current circumstances, Kurosaki?" Byakuya interrupted, looking faintly annoyed.

"Well, no, but—" Ichigo started.

"Then please keep your mouth shut and watch from the sidelines," Byakuya ran over him.

"Do you two know each other well?" Hitsugaya began, folding his arms.

"We go back," Danny said, relieved that this question was simple enough to answer. "Except that we aren't friends."

"How are you not friends?"

The Box Ghost decided to answer this. "He defiles my plans of boxing the world!"

Crickets chirped while the shinigamis absorbed this. Danny palmed his face, exasperated.

Finally, Hitsugaya spoke. "Excuse me?"

"He's got an obsession with boxes," Danny explained, shrugging.

"And bubble wrap!"

"What he said." Danny had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"Was he in that soup canister you insisted on carrying around?" Byakuya inquired, still not looking fazed.

"It's a thermos," Danny corrected. "And to answer your question: yes, he was."

"And the Menos Grande were, too?" Ichigo asked. "You sucked in a couple in Karakura Town, didn't you?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I did."

"Why did you do that?" Hitsugaya demanded. "Menos Grande are incredibly dangerous! You can't just capture them!"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Danny said, peeved. "It's not like I know how to do that big flashy attack Ichigo can do! And I didn't know that you have to hit the mask in order to destroy hollows! I just learned that ten minutes ago—when that dark-haired woman informed me."

"Besides, if that scientist hadn't taken the thermos in the first place," Ichigo added, "nothing would have happened in the first place. You need to get him under control."

"It's Kurotsuchi-taichou to you, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya corrected sharply. "He had every right to take that thermos to investigate what was in it."

"Ask and you shall receive," Danny murmured, grabbing onto the Box Ghost to stop him before he did anything strange with Ichigo's zanpakutou, which he had been inspecting.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"If you'd asked what was in the thermos I might have told you," Danny replied. "It wasn't a secret or anything."

"You sure you wouldn't have said it held your lunch?" Ichigo said disbelievingly.

Danny considered that. "I might've. But then Dr. Jekyll might've still swiped it just to see what other kind of fancy gadgets it's hiding."

Ichigo thought for a moment. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"

"Never read it." Danny was looking around the empty room they were in. "Hey, where _is_ he anyway?"

* * *

"Did you even manage to get _anything_ done on that creature?" Kurotsuchi barked. "Or did it escape too quickly for you to even get a glimpse of it?"

"We managed to get some readings," Nemu said quietly. Riku, on the other hand, was quaking in his boots—er, sandals. "Unfortunately, nothing was clear. He does seem…obsessed with boxes, however."

"Does that have anything to do with what you found out?"

"Not quite," Nemu admitted. "He has these strange abilities that we managed to get readings on. But his ability to control boxes only occurred outside of the room. We didn't have a chance to get anything on that."

"And what about the thermos?" Kurotsuchi asked sharply.

"I didn't manage to get any readings on the thermos other than the fact that it contained a great deal of energy. I believe that is explained by the presence of the hollows and the other creature."

"You _believe_ that it can be explained by their presence?" Kurotsuchi's jaw was set. "You have no scientific backup to prove this?"

"Nothing would penetrate the thermos's protective shielding." Nemu didn't appear fazed even though Kurotsuchi was slowly becoming incensed; Riku was looking rather pale.

"Except for the hollows _inside_ the thermos?"

"They had raw strength!" Riku blurted out, extremely uncomfortable. "The instruments we were using work more with finesse."

Kurotsuchi leveled his terrifying gaze on Riku. The lower shinigami gave a small "eep" and withdrew behind Nemu.

Kurotsuchi returned his stare to Nemu. "And what have you to say to this?"

Nemu inclined her head slightly. "Riku speaks the truth."

"And I don't suppose you have anything to add to that, hmm?" Kurotsuchi whirled around and glared at the monitor that was taking up the large wall. It displayed various readings. "But this…is interesting. Very interesting in fact. What makes this creature so much more different than us?"

Riku worked up the courage to ask another question. "I heard it was visible to mortals. Is that true?"

"The two creatures we have here at the moment are visible to mortals to reasons unknown even to them. That is why I wished you would test the thermos a bit more extensively." Kurotsuchi gave Nemu a cold stare; she merely lowered her gaze to the floor. "In any case, now that the thermos is broken and the creature in the company of that other one, I am afraid that we will have to use other means to acquire our answers."

"What of the castle above the Seireitei?" Nemu inquired.

"I believe that that is what I was referring to." A maniacal grin covered Kurotsuchi's face. "But in the meantime, you shall be making sense of these peculiar readings."

* * *

"Well, that's just great!" Sam shouted, scowling furiously. "Walker and his goons showed up here, admitted Amity Park is in chaos, and then vanished on us! How are we supposed to get to Danny now?"

"Sit around waiting?" Tucker suggested.

Sam shot him a glare. "And that'll solve what?"

Tucker looked apprehensive but soldiered on. "Let's not charge in head first. We might not find anything if we go stumbling around but if we're patient—who knows?"

She considered this for a very brief moment. "You've got a point," she admitted reluctantly. "But that's not exactly my style."

"Try it." Tucker peeked out of the alley. "Think it's safe to go out yet?"

"See any ghosts around?" Sam still sounded bitter. "But I guess it doesn't matter seeing as how we can't actually see the ghosts that pose a threat!"

"I consider Skulker a threat," Tucker objected.

Sam gave him a withering look.

"Well, maybe not _that_ scary," Tucker conceded. "But I say that Vortex is scary."

"You can _see_ him." Sam straightened her shirt and walked determinedly out into the open. "Come on."

"Thermos?" Tucker held out her backpack; Sam obligingly dropped it in. "Any idea on what to do with them?"

Sam mulled it over. "We don't have a portal but I wouldn't throw those to the ghosts anyway. …Just keep them in there for now," she said finally. "When Danny comes back he might know what to do."

They set a brisk pace to their apartment. Tucker broke the heavy silence that had settled down on them. "Do you think they're…experimenting on him?"

Sam's answer was harsh. "No! Danny'd get away if it came to that." But she didn't sound too sure of herself.

Tucker rushed to reassure her despite the heavy feeling in his heart. "I think it's interrogating only. That's why he took Walker in, right?"

"Yeah."

A minute later, Sam suddenly stopped. Tucker went on for about five more steps before noticing and stopping. She looked calculating.

"What?" Tucker finally asked, rather wary.

"Those are Ichigo's friends, right?" Sam went up beside him.

Tucker looked and groaned. "Oh no."

* * *

"Where do you think Kurosaki-kun went?" Orihime was biting her lip, looking worried.

"There was that troubling Menos Grande attack," Uryuu said. "I would say that a few…_extras_ came to help."

"But didn't Kurosaki-kun take care of them?"

"That green shield wasn't his work," Chad pointed out. "I think that if anyone else came it was to take in that weird spirit—"

"Fantomu, right?" Orihime corrected.

"Fantomu," Chad repeated in a monotone. "Ichigo probably went along."

"Like an idiot," Uryuu muttered. "He'll have to come back son. There are only so many more accidents he can get into…"

"He can catch mono," Orihime suggested brightly.

Chad stared at her blankly. "Isn't that the kissing disease?"

Uryuu pushed up his glasses. "I don't see him kissing anyone."

Orihime frowned. "Pneumonia?"

"No rain," Chad objected.

"TB?"

" 'To be'?" Uryuu repeated, confused.

"No!" She waved her hands frantically. "_TB_! You know, that thing that attacks the lungs?"

"I think that's contagious," Chad said gently. "He hasn't been exposed."

"It's pronounced _T-B_, Inoue-san," Uryuu added.

Orihime thought for another moment before pounding her fist into her hand. "I know! His leg will be broken!"

"That's not a sickness, Inoue-san," Uryuu said, looking rather embarrassed. "Besides, he'd still have to be in school."

"Well, darn." Orihime was silent for a few moments. "I'd like to meet him," she said finally.

"Who?" This sudden change of topic derailed Uryuu.

"Fantomu."

Before Uryuu could say anything Chad had spoken. "Speaking of Fantomu, his friends seem to be missing one member and appear rather frazzled."

"They've noticed us." Uryuu sighed. "And don't seem particularly happy."

"Yabun looks scary," Orihime murmured.

Her friends silently agreed.

* * *

"This is worse than the dragon!" Hideyoshi hissed, leaping through the air. He landed on the ground of the bottom floor. "At least we could see that!"

"We're almost at the meeting point," Katashi said evenly. "Look for a window."

"Or how about the door?" Hideyoshi pointed straight ahead to a huge set of doors that decorated the other end of the enormous room. "I'm sure he won't be expecting the most obvious exit."

"Or maybe he will," Katashi said sharply. "Besides, the others will be waiting at that meeting point and not at the main exit."

"We can get to that spot from here!" Hideyoshi argued.

Katashi furrowed his brow, dashing forward to the doors, Hideyoshi close on his heels. He seemed to be contemplating the decision to leave from there.

"All right," he said finally. "We'll go out here. At least we'll be in open territory and in more familiar grounds."

"On three then," Hideyoshi said, seemingly relieved. He shot a look behind them at the vast, empty hall. "Before he finds us."

The two pushed on the doors simultaneously, causing them to creak open and let in sunlight. Fresh air rushed in, sifting through an inch of dust that had somehow found its way on the stone floor. With another backwards glance, both Hideyoshi and Katashi slipped through the crack and pulled the doors closed with a loud _thud_.

"Come on then," Katashi said, looking down at the expanse of the Seireitei below them. "We better hope that Saburou has made it out of the castle safely along with Yoshirou and Jurou. Yoshirou has that tome as well."

"Yes." Hideyoshi gazed down, too, for one second before taking off. Katashi followed a moment after.

* * *

"Is he following _us_?" Jurou whispered, hiding behind a pillar. Yoshirou was situated behind another pillar, peeking around it with the tome still under his arm. "What about the others?"

"We split up into two different groups; he _is_ going to chase after one of us," Yoshirou said just as quietly. "But if he's gone after us and he sees this"—he clenched the tome tighter—"we'll be in trouble."

"That's a big understatement," Jurou muttered. He wasn't aware of a creeping shadow behind him.

Yoshirou turned around to reprimand him; his eyes widened upon seeing the terrifying knight about to knock out his teammate. "Move!" he ordered, pointing behind him.

Reflexively, Jurou instantly darted away so quickly that the Fright Knight cut through empty air, wide-eyed with surprise. He reappeared next to Yoshirou, shocked how close he had come to being made mincemeat of.

"Thanks," Jurou said. "Say we run?"

"Run," Yoshirou agreed.

Then the Fright Knight spoke. "If you value your lives—and your sanity—you had better stop now."

The two didn't listen. Instead, they flashed down the hall they were in like lightning, giving the Fright Knight almost no reaction time to do anything.

"So be it," the Fright Knight declared ominously, holding the Soul Shredder by the hilt in both hands, the tip facing downwards. The blade flared green and the energy seeped into the stones. It slid through the cracks and illuminated the floor, lighting up the hall in an eerie green light.

"What's he doing?" Jurou asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Don't stop!" Yoshirou reprimanded sharply. "We don't know what that light will do to us!"

But the Covert Ops were drawn to a stop when the green light passed under feet and crept up the wall. They turned around, Yoshirou hiding the book under his arm as he tried to anticipate what the Fright Knight was going to do. Jurou's nerves were tensed to the limit and his muscles trembled, waiting for the next move.

What happened next neither were expecting.

The floor seemed to tremble, except that it was merely the green light covering it that was moving. Then, the green light swirled into separate circles, growing darker in some patches and swirling like whirlpools. Figures started to rise out of them, figures that neither of the Covert Ops had ever seen before. Their eyes were wide with shock and surprise as they watched the figures emerge out of the floor.

"Z-z-zombies?" Jurou stammered, unable to believe his eyes. "_Green_ zombies?" "Scratch the color," Yoshirou snapped just for Jurou's ears. "We need to figure out how we're supposed to take care of them."

The zombies were terrifying to behold. They had a variety of disfigurements: some were missing eyes, hands, ears, and other bodily parts. Some were hideously slumped over to one side as one leg was too long and the other too short. Others had grotesquely shaped mouths with rotting teeth that were tinged green like the floor beneath their misshapen feet. Some of the feet were actually facing the other way and had overgrown toenails; a few others had boots—with emphasis on _few_. A couple had only one boot. Their weapons varied but they held melted swords and scythes, crooked shields, broken spears, and maces that were bent at odd angles.

What was absolutely certain, however, was that the two Covert Ops were in for some nasty treatment. There were at least fifty there before them and more were coming out. The Fright Knight had folded his arms, his Soul Shredder still in one hand. If his face were visible he'd be smirking.

"Would you like to cooperate now?" he asked.

The Covert Ops didn't say anything; they merely inspected their situation from all the angles, trying to figure a way out of their predicament.

"Should we open a door and hope that something helpful is behind it?" Jurou suggested.

"It could just as well be something that might eat us the moment we poke our heads in," Yoshirou replied.

"Good point," Jurou muttered, crestfallen. "Where's a dragon when you need one?"

"Well?" the Fright Knight called out again. "What's your answer? I would like every piece of news you have about this piece of land I'm floating on."

"Arrogant, isn't he?" Yoshirou grumbled, scouring the upper levels. The green energy hadn't reached them but he didn't like the idea of making an escape through the gruesome field of zombies. Sure, some of the hollows they found were pretty gross or rude depending on what class they were but none of them looked _human_. Then he spotted something that made a spark of hope alight in his eyes.

"You were talking about a dragon earlier, weren't you?" he muttered to Yoshirou.

"Yes." Jurou looked up to see what his teammate was talking about.

"I think our rescue has just arrived," Yoshirou said, probably grinning or smirking under that mask he was wearing.

"Eh?" Jurou looked again to see a huge purple dragon roaring at them. "Oh my—" He was cut off when Yoshirou yanked him behind a pillar to escape the dragon's blistering flames, which were surprisingly a normal color compared to the color of the scales.

"With that thing distracting both him and the zombies," Yoshirou whispered, "we can make our getaway. We're cutting it too close with our meeting with Saburou. Either he's getting really impatient or has already left to report that we're all M.I.A."

Jurou nodded, understanding the situation they were in. He could already hear loud swearing coming from the knight's direction. Apparently he wasn't too happy with the trap he had set up in his castle. If he didn't like dragons maybe he shouldn't have hidden one behind a door…

"Stairs are over there." Yoshirou prodded Jurou to the other side of the room, where a large staircase was leading to a lower floor. "Our best bet is through the front doors because we can't waste any more time trying to find that window."

"GET THEM, YOU FOOLS!" A loud scream grabbed their attention and the two made their scramble to the staircase.

"_Shunpo_!" Yoshirou hissed, suddenly flashing away.

Jurou followed his example, the two stopping shortly at the bottom of the staircase before using shunpo once again to reach the next staircase. This time they hit the jackpot when they spotted a large set of doors at the other end of the hall. They locked eyes once and looked back at the staircase. The two hightailed it once they saw a huge crowd of mutilated zombies flying down towards. Several of them looked rather toasted, too…

Both of them stopped before the doors, pushed them open, and ran out, stopping on the steps before they fell over and plummeted to the ground…that was far below them. Jurou stepped back and shoved the doors, shutting them before any zombies could follow them through. It didn't entirely work as several thuds against the door almost pushed them open again.

"Aargh." Jurou grunted as he pushed the doors closed properly. As soon as he was sure they were locked he let exhaled heavily. "Phew."

Another loud shout from inside nearly made them jump out of their skins. "PHASE THROUGH, YOU DOLTS!"

"That's not good, right?" Jurou asked nervously, sharing a look with Yoshirou.

"I don't think so." Yoshirou's eyes widened when he saw a zombie poke its head _through_ the doors. "OK. It's _definitely_ not good. Run!"

"Why?" Jurou looked over his shoulder and blanched when he saw more heads poke through. "That's why."

Before any of the zombies could attack the two, they had darted away to the meeting spot outside of the window. They found it in less than two minutes, already seeing Katashi and Hideyoshi there. Their leader, Saburou, was also there.

"That's where you are!" Jurou said, relieved to see Saburou. "What did you find in that creepy castle?"

Saburou glared at the two late Covert Ops. "I was just about to leave and report you as being missing! And for your information, I didn't find anything. Did you?"

"Now may not be the best time to report," Yoshirou butted in, looking backwards nervously.

"And why is that?" Saburou asked, an undercurrent of irritation buttering his voice.

"Because of those zombies on our tail," Jurou explained, pointing at the large crowd that was zipping their way.

Saburou blanched. "What the hell did you two do? This was supposed to be an undercover mission! Not only did these two idiots mess it up"—he was indicating Katashi and Hideyoshi—"you two also did!"

"More running less talking?" Hideyoshi suggested, looking rather peeved at being called an idiot. "Those look nasty."

With that agreed on, the five Covert Ops immediately vanished, leaving an army of angry and confused zombies in their wake. The Fright Knight was on their heels, fuming.

"If these people continue to interfere in my abode," he thundered ominously, "we shall take the fight to them." He pointed the Soul Shredder to the Seireitei below them. "Onward!"

"Don't you mean 'below-ward'?" a zombie-ghost asked.

"Aargh! Just do it, you imbeciles!"

* * *

A slim youth with dark hair was walking down a brightly lit hall, humming happily to himself. He was carrying a tray with food on it, presumably to a room in the medical hospital he was working in. Yamada Hanatarou was the seventh seat of the fourth division and the leader of the fourteenth Relief Squad. He was also extremely clumsy…

"Eep!" He tripped over his own foot and almost spilled the bowl of soup on the tray. Hanatarou managed to save it by twisting around and getting his feet on the ground properly. "Phew," he sighed in relief, beaming at the bowl of soup on the tray that had been salvaged from destruction. Unfortunately, the bowl of soup met its unfortunate end by spilling its contents on Hanatarou's outfit when a large group of shinigamis brushed by him and sent him spinning in circles. "Aah!"

Hanatarou managed to stop his spinning head and looked at the group's retreating backs. "What's going on?"

His answer was answered as soon as another shinigami ran by him. "Zaraki-taichou just came in, really injured!"

Hanatarou's jaw dropped open; he was astonished, needless to say. "A-are you serious?"

"Take a look!" The shinigami nodded his head and sped off.

Hanatarou looked down at his spoiled outfit ruefully and the dropped tray with regret before following to see what had defeated the undefeatable Zaraki Kenpachi. What he saw actually surprised him. Kenpachi's fukutaichou Yachiru was there by his side; the taichou actually looked unblemished aside from bruises and what looked like burns on his chest.

Unohana was there, actually looking surprised. Her face rarely showed emotion. "Oh my. What happened, Yachiru?" She checked Kenpachi over.

"He fought Frighty!" Yachiru reported cheerfully, grinning brightly.

The name sent everyone into confusion. "Who?"

"The big knight that's floating over us!" Yachiru elaborated, still grinning.

It took Hanatarou a moment to realize that she wasn't literally talking about the knight when she said 'floating over us'. The knight she was talking about was in the castle that had mysteriously appeared a short while before. And he doubted the knight's real name was Frighty. It sounded too much like a nickname Yachiru would make up.

"He fought the knight that's rumored to be in that freaky castle?" he heard another shinigami in his division mutter disbelievingly. "And the knight defeated him? No freakin' way!"

"Would she lie?" Hanatarou asked nervously, not believing that he was actually talking to this guy he barely knew.

"I guess not," the shinigami said, looking at Hanatarou and not recognizing him. "But it's still pretty unbelievable."

Suddenly, Kenpachi stirred and his eyes snapped open. Hanatarou just noticed that his eye patch was gone. '_No way. The guy defeated Zaraki-taichou **without** his eye patch? Only Ichigo has ever been able to do that before!_'

"Where the hell is that idiot?" Kenpachi tried to sit up but was pushed down by Unohana.

"Don't sit up," she told him, keeping one hand on his shoulder. "You don't seem to be seriously injured but you've broken several ribs."

"Great," the taichou grumbled, scowling furiously. "That stupid knight and his code of ethics!" He attempted to sit up once more but was pushed down firmly by Unohana.

Any further argument was cut off when a loud shout of alarm drew their attention away from the sight of a defeated Kenpachi. "What on earth is _that_?"

Hanatarou managed to squeeze through the crowd to look through a window. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened when he saw a huge green army of something fly down from the castle.

Something bad was happening up there…

* * *

"My suit is purple!" Walker growled in disgust and wiped off another purple blob that had fallen on his usually immaculate white suit. It was spotted with purple dots. Needless to say, Walker was not pleased.

Zennosuke studied him for a moment. "Purple looks good on you," he finally said. "A lot better than that white, which washes you out."

Walker glared daggers at him. "Purple is dirty," he said snidely. "White is clean and orderly. Black," he added, staring down his nose at Zennosuke's outfit, "is absolutely disgusting."

Zennosuke self-consciously rubbed his fingers on his robe. "What's so disgusting about black?"

"You can hide any number of stains and dirt on it with no one being any wiser."

"For your information, Soul Society prides cleanliness!" Zennosuke objected.

"How can they pride cleanliness if they can't even tell whether or not their uniforms are clean?" Walker retorted.

"Um, sir?" a goon interrupted nervously, tapping Walker on the shoulder.

"What?" Walker snapped, turning around. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"There's something behind us," the goon squeaked, pointing.

Both Zennosuke and Walker looked. Walker narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher what it was that was approaching them; Zennosuke merely blanched.

"Oh, hell, no," he groaned, taking a step back. "Not that thing!"

"What thing?" Bullet demanded, looking at the rapidly approaching white light. "It looks like a bulldozer!"

"I've only heard of it but what I did hear didn't sound pretty." Zennosuke was stumbling through his words in his haste to get them out. "But one piece that always stuck with me was, 'Don't stick around waiting for it. Run as fast as you can in the opposite direction!' "

"So what do we do?" asked a dumb goon.

"Isn't it obvious? We run!" Zennosuke dashed off, leaving the ghosts behind.

Walker clenched his hand into a fist and glared at the shinigami's retreating back. "Follow him!" he ordered, whipping around and pointing a gloved hand at him.

The ghosts zipped after Zennosuke. Walker remained behind for a few more seconds before following his goons. Bullet was flying next to him.

"Do you think we should have taken the two brats?" Bullet asked Walker.

"The punk's friends? No. They would've gotten in the way; they always do. This way we're free to do what we will."

"What about them?" Bullet indicated Zennosuke. "There are more of him."

"And they're just as incapable as him, I bet," Walker said offhandedly. "We won't have any problems arresting Phantom this time. I'm sure of it."

Zennosuke turned his head around and cupped his mouth to holler. "We're almost at the exit. Keep going until you reach the light!"

"I thought we _weren't_ supposed to go to the light?" Bullet muttered, picking up the pace.

Walker looked back to see the sweeper almost on his toes. He poured on the speed and zipped through the light right after his goons, leaving the purple and murky world behind. What he saw in front of him had him changing his mind about how easy it was going to be to capture Phantom.

"That guy just had to show up, didn't he?" Walker grunted, glaring at the huge castle hovering in front of them. He then spotted the mass of zombie ghosts flying down to the land spread out below them and saw the Fright Knight floating above them all, his arms folded. "And he's engaging in war."

Zennosuke was speechless, staring at the commotion in front of him. "Hell… I can't believe I missed the commotion!"

The ghosts looked at each other disbelievingly. Walker snorted and crossed his arms, scrutinizing the town below him. Somewhere, Phantom was waiting for handcuffs and he, Walker, would be ready to deliver them.

* * *

"The mad doctor has vanished! Calamity reigns! He will—ow!"

Danny had shut the Box Ghost up by zapping him in the butt with a sizzling ghost ray. He blew the smoke off his finger nonchalantly while the ghost glared at him.

"He's got a point, though," Ichigo admitted after he blinked in surprise. "If he hadn't taken the guy's zanpakutou—"

"Sword," Danny corrected.

Ichigo rolled his eyes but complied. "If he hadn't taken the guy's _sword_ we wouldn't be in this mess and Renji would still be here."

"No, we'd still be in this mess," Danny argued. "The Fright Knight is the kind of guy who wants to take over the world and turn it into his domain. Even if he had his Soul Shredder originally he still would've pursued world domination."

"You know this how?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"Easy. I've fought the guy before. Besides, I had a Halloween where I—er—_someone_ took his sword and he went after it." Danny changed his mind at the last second about admitting to the theft. He had a feeling it wouldn't sit too well with the shinigamis. "This is pretty much a repeat of the incident."

"But Renji would still be here," Ichigo reminded them.

"If he couldn't even take care of himself adequately it's to be expected," Byakuya said dismissively. "It's negligent to not be able to perform one's duties to the standard it is expected."

"He's your fukutaichou!" Ichigo shouted, fuming. "Don't you care about him?"

Danny looked faintly grossed out. "The way you make that sound sounds _really_ gross…"

"Not _that_ way!" Ichigo hissed at him.

"It was just the connotation!" ' _"Connotation"? Mr. Lancer would be proud._'

"Do you even know what that means?"

"Actually, I do!"

"It means that he is in love with boxes!" the Box Ghost proclaimed, suddenly hanging onto Danny's neck and choking him.

The shinigamis stared at him weirdly. None of them seemed to notice that Danny was turning blue until he knocked the Box Ghost off and gasped for air.

"In your dreams!" Danny snapped at the Box Ghost, rubbing his abused neck. "And watch what you're holding onto next time! Choking people is not the way to go about making friends!"

Hitsugaya was scowling furiously by now. Their bickering was getting on his nerves. He opened his mouth, about to tell them off, when a girlish shriek interrupted him.

"Zombies!" The Box Ghost latched onto Danny's neck again and refused to be dislodged. "They're coming for us!"

Danny struggled to get him off but the ghost kept readjusting his grip. "Don't be…"—he got one hand off only for the other to cling harder—"…ridiculous!"

"Zombies!" the Box Ghost wailed again, moving down to clutch Danny's waist.

Ichigo looked out the window that the Box Ghost had been at. "Oh crap."

The Box Ghost promptly covered Danny's ears; the teen started dancing around, trying to get the annoying ghost off. "Get—off!"

"Are there really _zombies_ out there, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya asked skeptically.

"Green zombies but still zombies," Ichigo replied, looking grim.

Danny was now on the ground and wrestling with the Box Ghost.

"Is there a difference between the two besides their color, Kurosaki?" Byakuya inquired stonily.

"No. But I just thought that it was something interesting to mention."

The Box Ghost was now pinned to the floor with his arms held together behind his back by a grinning Danny. Hitsugaya glanced out the window at the zombies and back at Danny.

"And our fates lie in the hands of this teenager?" Hitsugaya said in a low voice.

Ichigo looked at Danny, too. It was kind of sad that the only person who knew how to defeat these ghosts was a ghost himself: an immature teenager. "Yep. Sure looks like it."

* * *

**EDIT (03/29/10):** The last two paragraphs are still some of my favorite lines in the entire story...

**It was more of an "in-between" chapter besides the action with the Covert Ops. It kind of set the stage for the climax of this arc. That's right, "Danny in Soul Society" is almost finished! (Gee, I sounded like a cheesy announcer there for a moment...)There's also no Urahara in here but that's for next chapter where I plan on showing more Sam and Tucker. I'm not sure how time runs with the real world and Soul Society but I know it's not the same. That means I'm free to play around with it. (evil laugh)**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Don't know when I can update again seeing as how I'm busy with loads of other stuff. For those of you that read my other _Danny Phantom_ story I can say that its sequel, Phantom City, is finally up! It's a _Teen Titans/Danny Phantom_ crossover. Check it out if you're interested and drop a review! Oh, review here, too, please? No flames, thank you kindly...**


	17. Sam and Tucker, Meet Urahara

**Thanks to _GhostKing666, Amaterasu17, Dragon260, SpartanCommander, Piece of Toast, Silversapphiretails, ImmortalPhantom22, Firehedgehog,_ and _mimifoxlove _for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach _nor _Danny Phantom_.**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Sam and Tucker, Meet Urahara**

* * *

_"Those are Ichigo's friends, right?" Sam went up beside him._

_ Tucker looked and groaned. "Oh no."_

" 'Oh no', indeed," Sam muttered threateningly, her eyes narrowing as she started marching up towards them.

"Sam!" Tucker hissed, trying to keep up with his irate friend. "What are you doing?"

"Confronting them obviously!" Sam snapped. "They know something about what's going on here and I'm going to find out what!"

"Don't shout at them!" Tucker pleaded. "The last thing we need is a big crowd here!"

"No. The _last_ thing we need is a body with Danny's name written all over it!" Sam shouted, coming dangerously close to tears. "This whole thing has me _really_ stressed out, all right, Tucker? _Don't_ push me."

With that said, she continued towards Ichigo's friends, who were watching her with apprehension. Tucker stood there, speechless for a moment, until he realized that he still needed to calm her down in case things got out of hand. Sam's words running through his head, Tucker caught up with her and shrugged apologetically at them when their eyes flashed over to him.

"Hi, Yabun," Orihime said, rather cautiously it seemed. "How are—"

"I'm fine! Just fine!" Sam interrupted her. "Don't I look just peachy?"

Each of them stared at Sam, inspecting her carefully. The first thing they noticed was her state of dress. Then their eyes landed on her clenched jaw, fists, flashing eyes, and flushed cheeks. They knew that this was not a Goth to be trifled with.

"You look flushed," Chad said carefully. "Is—"

"And, no, everything is _not_ all right," Sam cut him off. "You guys are aware of the hollows running around here, right?"

Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad locked eyes for a moment, not sure if they should lie or just tell her the truth. Their decision was made by Sam's angry outburst.

"We know! We know everything about you shinigamis, hollows, and that Ichigo is one of them!" Sam shook off Tucker's hand as he tried to calm her down. "Leave me, Tucker," she snapped. Her temper turned to Ichigo's unfortunate friends. "You guys should know full well that we know, too! I know that Ichigo told you about our names and where we're from! Danny's missing and I just know that your shinigamis have taken him to this—this _Soul Society_!" She spat the last two words out.

Taken aback at Sam's angry and entirely truthful outburst, the friends could do nothing at first but just stare at her. Orihime was biting her lip; Chad was his usual impassive self except for scratching his head as he thought; Uryuu had his arms folded and was staring at Sam with a thoughtful expression.

"Which Danny?" he finally said. "The ghost or the one playing as Shikyo?"

"_Danny_," Sam said, still seething and not in the mood to keep her cover. "Which Danny do you think I mean? There's only one!"

"I was just trying to make sure," Uryuu said, attempting to pacify her. "There are two under that name and I wasn't sure—"

"Which Danny would your sick shinigamis be interested in in the first place? The _human_ or the ghost?"

"Calm down, Sam," Tucker whispered, putting a hand on her arm and ignoring her hisses. "Shouting and accusations aren't going to get you anywhere. Besides, I think you're scaring them," he added in an even lower whisper.

"Good," Sam said furiously, not bothering to keep her voice down. "They should be scared! I'm tired of their lies and secrets!"

'_That's a bit hypocritical,_' Tucker thought. '_Don't we have secrets ourselves?_'

Uryuu looked around at their public location. Their brawl was attracting curious and disapproving glances. "Let's go somewhere a bit more private?" he suggested quietly, hoping not to aggravate Sam even more. "This is best not discussed on the street among the public where everyone and anyone can eavesdrop."

Rather reluctantly, Sam agreed and let them drag her and Tucker as far as an alley. There she stopped and refused to go any further.

"Here," she insisted, glaring. "I want my answers _now_."

'_We seem to be spending a lot of times in alleys_,' Tucker mused, glancing at several garbage cans by a wall. '_I just hope I don't have to take another nosedive into a trashcan or a dumpster._' He shuddered in disgust at the memory.

"OK, OK," Uryuu said calmly. "First, you want to know where your friend Danny is, correct?"

"What do you think?" Sam retorted, folding her arms and tapping her foot.

"It's definitely possible that he's in Soul Society," Uryuu said.

"Possibly or definitely?" Tucker asked, hoping for the former.

"I think we can safely say that he's definitely there, Ishida," Chad said.

"And what exactly will they do to him there?" Sam asked.

"Ask him questions, I presume," Uryuu answered. "They are naturally curious and with Danny's nature in question they are going to interrogate him thoroughly."

Tucker couldn't stop the question from coming out. "No experimentation?"

"Where would you get that idea from?" Orihime stared at him. "They wouldn't experiment on him!"

"I wouldn't be so sure, Inoue-san," Uryuu said. His voice was somber. "They have one shinigami in particular that would be _very_ happy to have Danny in his grasp." His mouth twisted with disgust as he spoke and his eyes hardened.

"Who?" Sam demanded.

"Don't worry too much," Chad assured her. "I know several people that will try their best not to let that happen."

"Kurosaki-kun for one wouldn't let that happen easily," Orihime said brightly, smiling fondly at the thought of her crush. "Ishida-kun told him all about that scientist."

"Is there any way that we can get into Soul Society to find him?" Sam asked.

The three shared glances. There _was_ a way for them to get into Soul Society. But would the man in possession of the portal let them use it?

"Well?" Sam pressed.

"There is," Uryuu said cautiously. "But we're not sure if he'll let you use it."

"Why not?" Tucker exclaimed, dismayed. "Danny's our friend! We have to follow him!"

"He might not see it that way," Uryuu said, trying to explain. "Urahara-san is…strange. More likely than not he'll have his own motives to fulfill."

"We'll just see what he has to say," Sam muttered, her voice threatening. "Take us to him," she demanded.

The words were out of Uryuu's mouth before he could stop them. "Why are you so desperate anyway?" He regretted it instantly.

Before Sam could lunge at him, Tucker had snapped. "Would you let _your_ friends just stay in the fiery depths of hell? Would you just lie down and not take every chance there is to help them? He's our friend! You can't just expect us to stay here, be patient, and hope that he'll come back! You yourself said that there's a crazy shinigami there who likes to experiment! Danny's a prime candidate for that! Think about it carefully! Would you let _your_ friends remain in danger?"

Uryuu thought quietly for a moment. "I wouldn't," he finally said. He shared a look with the others. "Let's go to Urahara-san's."

"Finally!" Sam grumbled.

'_Danny, here we come!_'

* * *

Wide-eyed, Skulker could only float in amazement as a tall man in a striped hat and a green coat poked his armor and examined all the gadgets.

"Amazing," the man kept murmuring. "Absolutely fascinating! And all this is handmade! Absolutely fascinating!" Then he continued poking and even inspecting the armor under Skulker's arm.

Jinta and Ururu stood at the side, watching their boss's antics with boredom. They were well used to the eccentric man's behavior by now.

"Are you done?" Skulker asked finally, phasing his arm out of the man's grip. "Urahara, you say?"

"I did," Urahara said, standing back and looking at Skulker once more from a few feet's distance. He had blonde hair and big eyes but his face held wisdom, which was hidden under a goofy exterior. "You say your name is Skulker, correct?"

"That's right."

"What exactly are you?"

Skulker sighed, completely aggravated. "Everyone I meet here asks me that question!" he complained. "For the last time, I'm a _ghost_! If someone asks what that is I'll swear I'll—"

"What's a ghost?" Jinta couldn't resist asking.

Skulker growled menacingly and glared at the red-haired boy. "I'll set my prey on you," the hunter threatened.

"Not a spirit? And the people here see you?" Urahara queried.

"That's right." Skulker looked impatient. "They always can. Except here it causes even more of a commotion than back home."

"Where are you from?" Urahara folded his arms in his sleeves.

"The Ghost Zone, of course," Skulker said. "That's where every ghost comes from."

"I've never heard of this Ghost Zone," Jinta said. "Where's that?"

"Everywhere," Skulker said dismissively, waving his hand.

"Is that so?" Urahara said curiously. "Could you elaborate on how that is?"

"It's the home of all the ghosts. I can't explain it properly. You'll always find portals opening up into and out of the Ghost Zone all over the world. That doesn't seem to be the case here, though," Skulker muttered, disheartened. "I really need a new control panel." He scowled at something on his arm.

"What's wrong with that one?" Jinta asked, jumping up on Skulker's arm and looking at the control panel. "It looks totally cool!"

Skulker shook the boy off and folded his arms defensively. "It's malfunctioning."

"Back to the point," Urahara cut in. "You say you're a ghost and not a spirit. You're from the Ghost Zone and where you're from people are able to see you. How did you get here? I've never seen ghosts or spirits of the likes of you before."

"Those masked demons did it," Skulker said, glaring at the hollow mask on the ground under him. It was the one that he had salvaged from an earlier hunt. "I thoroughly enjoy hunting their pelts now that I can pick them off one by one."

Tsukabishi Tessai, the large muscular man with an apron and glasses, started at that. "Hmm?"

"Curious," was all Urahara said. "You say the hollows sent you here?"

"The last thing I remember is a masked monster—or hollow as you said—shooting something at me before I arrived here. But I must say"—he held up another hollow mask, inspecting it carefully—"the hunting here is most interesting. I never expected to find another half-ghost here."

"_Another_ half-ghost?" Urahara caught the last three words. "Are you saying that you found someone who is only _half_ a ghost?"

"The orange child is peculiar," Skulker said.

Urahara and his assistants looked at each other, momentarily befuddled as to whom Skulker could be talking about.

"Orange child?" Jinta prompted.

"He had this ridiculous big sword and burnt my armor," Skulker grumbled.

"Oh! You wouldn't happen to be talking about Kurosaki-san by any chance, would you?" Urahara said, understanding.

"I believe he said that that was his name," Skulker confirmed. "He is certainly amusing prey."

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "You hunted Kurosaki-san?"

"I tried to," Skulker grumbled. "He ran off with a bunch of others of his kind before I could do anything."

Urahara stroked his chin, mulling over everything that Skulker had told him. "Explain more about this Ghost Zone of yours," he finally said. "I'm intrigued."

"There's not much to say other than that it's the home of the ghosts," Skulker said. "It's green, has doors that open into other lairs, and is virtually limitless. Now and then you'll find portals opening into the human realm. There are two fixed portals that open into the human world. One is Plasmius's and the other belongs to the Fentons. The Fenton Ghost Portal is the one most ghosts prefer to go into."

"I can say without a doubt that I've never heard of this place," Urahara said. "I've also never heard of a spirit—"

"Ghost," Skulker interrupted. "We are ghosts. Spirits belong to departed people; we are made of ectoplasm and therefore not spirits."

"Interesting," Urahara said. "You're made of ectoplasm? The spirits here are, too. All spiritual matter is made up of some form of ectoplasm. But what is the difference between yours and ours?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Skulker said, completely clueless. "One other thing I have noticed from your spirits is that they lack the usual ghost powers."

"What would those be?"

"Invisibility, intangibility, ecto-blasts, and flight," Skulker rattled off. "Some ghosts may not be developed enough to fire an ecto-blast but it's still an elementary ghost power. Others are significantly more powerful and have added abilities to these."

"You're obviously not from this world," Urahara announced. "Never in all my years have I heard of spirits—or ghosts—of your kind. Here we have only two: hollows and shinigamis. We also have the spirits that wander around after dying. As you said before, none of these spirits have the powers that you speak of. Have you heard of alternate dimensions?"

"I would say that the Ghost Zone is one," Skulker offered, trying to follow Urahara's train of thought.

"It is one," Urahara agreed. "This human realm you speak of is joined with it. However, according to what you're explaining, that human realm is used to ghosts like you. Here we have only spirits that are invisible except to those with unusual abilities, such as Kurosaki-san or those of us standing here." He gestured around to everyone that was listening in. "The only conclusion I can reach is that you've been transported to an alternate dimension."

"It would make some sense," Skulker admitted. "But how did the hollows from here end up in the Ghost Zone?"

"That is an excellent question," Urahara said, "and one worth answering. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that some bigger force is behind this attack on your world."

"How do you know there even is an attack?" Skulker demanded.

"Simple. Hollows don't just show up for fun." Urahara shrugged. "You yourself said that a hollow sent you here. I don't know how that is possible or even how the hollows ended up in your dimension. The only logical conclusion I can reach is that there is an invasion of hollows in your dimension. Am I right?"

"You are," Skulker admitted. "The Ghost Zone is being overrun by those fiends. If I'm right, the human realm has also followed. Even the ghost child will be tried to his limits."

"Ghost child?"

"My most elusive prey." Skulker scowled at the thought. "That blasted child just keeps escaping my grasp."

"Maybe you're not as good as you think you are," Jinta suggested, bored.

"I am the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter!" Skulker proclaimed, glaring daggers at the boy. "No prey is too much for me!"

"This ghost child apparently is," Jinta said, still completely bored.

"The ghost child has added advantages!" Skulker snapped. "But mark my words, I _will_—"  
"Can you explain to us who this ghost child is?" Urahara interrupted the fight before it could escalate.

"Danny Phantom," Skulker answered, returning his attention to the store owner. "The second half-ghost to exist after Plasmius. Unlike Plasmius, however, he's devoted himself to kicking the ghosts out of the human realm and into the Ghost Zone."

"So that means this Plasmius is like a bad guy, huh?" Jinta guessed eagerly.

"I'm also a bad guy, whelp," Skulker sneered. "Don't underestimate us ghosts."

"Now, now," Urahara said reassuringly, trying to calm them down. "There's no need to—"

"_Skulker_!" A girl's voice interrupted Urahara.

Another one followed hers. "What are _you_ doing here?"

The source of the disturbance was soon revealed to be two teenagers—a girl and a boy—that had just entered the store and were staring at the ghost in amazement. Uryuu, Orihime, and Chad were on their heels, gaping at the ghost themselves.

"What on earth is _that_?" Uryuu finally managed to say. "It looks like some sort of robot!"

Neither of the teenagers answered, instead running up to Skulker and glaring at him sternly.

"You're not causing trouble, are you?" the girl asked.

"Should I?" Skulker retorted.

"I don't know. It's what you do, isn't it?" the boy said flippantly.

"Why did you guys bring _them_ here?" Jinta hissed at the three. "They're not supposed to know about us!"

"They know about us without us telling them," Uryuu said.

"Besides, Sam is rather scary," Orihime added, looking rather nervous.

"The boy?" Jinta glanced at the dark teen with the red beret. "Nah. He doesn't look scary at all."

"Not him! The girl!" Orihime corrected.

"The girl's named Sam?" Jinta asked disbelievingly.

"They're American," Chad said as if that explained everything. Perhaps it did.

"Oh. Weird Americans," Jinta muttered, squinting at Sam as if he could see what nationality she was.

"The boy's called Tucker," Orihime supplied. "But their Japanese names are Yabun and Yori."

"How'd you get here?" Sam was asking Skulker. "I know you've been here a while. Danny said that you were hunting the shinigamis."

"I was attacked by a hollow," Skulker said.

"It matches up with what we've figured out," Tucker mused. "You weren't doing anything to these humans, were you?" He glared accusingly at Skulker.

"No!" Skulker was irritable. "Just because I normally cause ruckus in Amity Park doesn't mean I cause ruckus everywhere I go!"

Urahara listened to the conversation with great interest. The names Orihime and Chad tossed around made him remember something from a short time ago. Yoruichi had come over and given him the latest update on what was happening in Soul Society. From the familiar way the two teens were interacting with the ghost he could tell that there was something else hidden in their relationship than what Yoruichi had known.

_"Soul Society's got their knickers in a twist."_

_ "That so?"_

_ "Yep. Hitsugaya, Byakuya, Renji, and Matsumoto ran into a different kind of spirit that called himself a ghost. He had two friends that were humans. There's a third but he wasn't there. If I remember right Ichigo was there, too."_

_ "I suppose the humans are troubling to them, especially if they are aware of the shinigamis' presence in Karakura."_

_ "Got that right. Hitsugaya tried to erase their memories but the ghost ran off with them before he could. He's apparently from a different dimension and that's why he's got such a wide arsenal of abilities."_

_ "What's this ghost's name?"_

_ "Fantomu according to the ghost. He's also known as Danny. The two humans—Sam and Tucker if I heard correctly—call him that. The third one is called Danny, just like Fantomu. According to the story the girl related, he's from a different dimension that they accidentally crossed into when reading out of an old book they found."_

_ "Sounds intriguing. What's Soul Society got to say?"_

_ "They want to interrogate Fantomu—or Danny—thoroughly. Unfortunately, he's rather hard to find…"_

_ "Any other interesting news?"_

_ "He's not the only ghost around. While there to deal with the trouble that was caused by Fantomu and another ghost, they ran into another ghost calling himself Skulker. He's from the same dimension as Fantomu. And judging from previous reports made by Rukia, they're not the only ghosts here."_

_ "Interesting. You'll let me know if anything new comes up, won't you?"_

_ "Will do, Kisuke."_

Their conversation still running through Urahara's head, his analytical mind ran through all the evidence that was before him.

'_Skulker is from a different dimension along with Fantomu, also known as Danny. He mentioned a ghost child, or Danny Phantom, that coincidentally shares the same name as Fantomu. He said that there's a human realm there, too, that the Ghost Zone is connected to closely. Danny Phantom protects the human world. Now, what reason would a ghost have to kick other ghosts out of the human world? Even a half-ghost at that? If the two ghosts are the same, it means that Fantomu is only half a ghost. But who is the human half?_' Urahara remembered the third human's name. '_A third Danny? Could it be that their friend is the elusive Fantomu? I'll have to ask. But if they're so determined to keep their secret there's no telling whether or not they'll confide in me. Perhaps an accusation is the best way to go._'

"You two don't belong here," Urahara said aloud just as Sam and Tucker reached a lull in their conversation with Skulker. Barely two minutes had passed since they had seen him.

"Of course we don't," Sam said, shifting her weight. "We're from America."

"No, I mean you really don't belong here." Urahara smiled a small smile. "You're from the same dimension this ghost is from." He inclined his head towards Skulker, who was floating a foot above the ground.

"That's not possible," Sam insisted. "Skulker is from an entirely different world than we are."

"Of course he is. He's from the Ghost Zone, the world accompanying yours," Urahara said pleasantly.

"And the Ghost Zone accompanies this world because it's a different dimension and all dimensions accompany each other," Sam shot back.

'_Smart girl. But even she has to realize that her story has several large holes in it. Perhaps she'd be more comfortable if it were just Kurosaki-san's friends and me._' His decision made, Urahara relayed it to his employees. "Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta, would you be so kind as to give us a bit of privacy?"

Jinta immediately protested. "What? Come on! You can't just kick us out!"

Tessai immediately took charge, pushing Jinta out. Ururu followed without complaint. "Let's go, Jinta."

Still whining, Jinta was pushed out by Tessai, eventually leaving Ichigo's friends, Urahara, Skulker, and Sam and Tucker alone.

"Are you sure that you want us here?" Uryuu asked, his eyes flashing between Urahara and Sam and Tucker. "This doesn't really concern us."

"I assume that you brought these two here for a reason," Urahara said. "Or did you not?"

"They did," Tucker said. "But—"

Sam's interruption was a hiss. "Tucker!"

"So you admit you have something to hide?" Urahara raised an eyebrow under his hat.

Sam stopped short and stared, wide-eyed, at Urahara. "N-no," she stammered. "We don't."

"I'm not as blind as the shinigamis from Soul Society, you know," Urahara remarked casually. "They'd much rather just let things fly by under their noses and pretend everything is fine when nothing is. I should let you know that I am in no way allied to them other than being an acquaintance. I was banished long ago."

Tucker's gaze flicked between Sam and Urahara as he tentatively said, "Banished? So, you're saying that we can trust you?"

"I certainly trusted him with my armor," Skulker inserted, staring at Urahara darkly.

Sam rolled her eyes at Skulker's inane comment but bit the inside of her cheek, mulling over Urahara's words. She studied Ichigo's friends, too. She still didn't trust them fully because they were friends with a shinigami but Ichigo was out of the norm as well. Skulker had called him a half-ghost as well according to Danny. If that was the case, he wasn't completely part of Soul Society.

"OK," she finally said, looking at Urahara seriously. "But you have to swear to not repeat a word of this to _anyone_. And when I say 'anyone' I mean _anyone_. That goes for you three as well," she said to Ichigo's friends.

"But what about Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime protested.

"Can he keep a secret? I don't trust him because he's a shinigami."

"He's only an ally to Soul Society in times of need," Uryuu said. "He's well aware of how Soul Society works and doesn't entirely agree with it. If your story sides with his view, he'll definitely keep it a secret."

"You can tell him then," Sam allowed. "But no one else. Agreed? What's said here stays here."

"Agreed," Urahara said. "I can personally speak for Ishida-san, Sado-san, and Inoue-san myself that they won't breathe a word of this to anyone other than their friend Kurosaki-san."

"You won't say anything anyway, right, Skulker?" Tucker asked the ghost hunter.

"Should I?" Skulker said snidely, folding his arms. He then quailed under Sam's glare.

Satisfied with the results, Sam began to speak. "You're right about us not belonging to this dimension either. We're from the human realm, or Amity Park, belonging to the Ghost Zone that Skulker is from. Our place is very similar to the world we're in right now, except that the ghosts are visible to all the humans and that shinigamis and hollows don't exist."

"How do you know that?" Uryuu interrupted. "You can't see them."

"_We _can't but _Danny_ can," Sam said. "Don't you think he would've said something if freaky masked monsters started showing up and gobbling up the ghosts? It's not something he'd keep a secret."

"Even if we think he's crazy when he first starts ranting about them," Tucker added.

Sam jabbed him in the side before continuing. "A few days before we were dumped here, we noticed that the ghosts had stopped showing up so frequently. We didn't know why and it bothered us—Danny especially because he was the one fighting them.

"We were in the park when a ghost attacked. Danny fended it off but before he could capture it, it blasted us with a red light and we woke up in a crater here."

"So Danny is Fantomu?" Urahara asked.

Sam slapped a hand over her mouth, not having intended to reveal that bit of information. '_Stupid!_' she chided herself. '_Now there's no telling what they'll do!_'

"It's quite all right," Urahara reassured her. "I'd already guessed. How many Dannys can be expected to run around? Skulker here had already told me about Danny Phantom, who is apparently Fantomu, and you have your own Danny. He wasn't there when the shinigamis were here and he's also not here now, which leads me to believe that he's Fantomu."

"You can't tell anyone!" Sam pleaded. "There are only—"

"Two half-ghosts in existence?" Urahara finished. "Yes, Skulker told me. I'll keep my mouth sealed. Soul Society would go crazy over a piece of news like that."

"So Danny isn't really sick, is he?" Uryuu said. "He's in Soul Society?"

"Yes," Sam said. "I just hope he hasn't gone and done something stupid."

"That explains his odd name," Chad remarked.

"What's so odd about his name?" Tucker inquired. "I've been wondering for a time now, Sam."

"It means 'death'," Uryuu said.

Sam flushed as Tucker turned accusing eyes on her. "I thought it suited him," she said defensively.

"You were the one insisting we keep a low profile!" Tucker accused. "With Danny walking around carrying a name like 'death' you threw that out of the window!"

"If it's any consolation," Orihime said, "we didn't know he was half-ghost until Urahara-san mentioned it."

"Danny is in Soul Society?" Urahara's mouth was in a thin line.

"According to what they've told us, we think he is," Tucker replied, indicating Ichigo's friends.

"There was a Menos Grande attack," Uryuu explained. "You're probably aware of that, though."

"I was intrigued as to what they were doing here," Urahara said. "It's not every day that we're blessed with the presence of so many. I assume they were here for Danny?"

"The shinigamis were anyway," Uryuu said. "Danny hasn't been seen since their attack. Am I right?" he asked Sam.

"You're right," she confirmed. "I'm not sure about these…Menos Grande."

"What I'm curious about is how Danny can be _half_ a ghost and still appear human," Uryuu said. "He's literally walking the line between life and death."

Tucker shook his head adamantly. "He's not half-dead if that's what you're insinuating. The ghosts from our realm aren't like the ones here."

"Danny got into an accident with his parents' ghost portal," Sam said. "It wasn't working and his parents were really depressed over it. I told him to go in and check it out, which he did. I think he tripped over something or ran a hand over the wall, pressing the 'on' button."

"Who the hell puts an 'on' button _inside_ a machine?" Uryuu muttered.

"Danny's dad does," Tucker said, grinning at the memory of some of Jack Fenton's escapades. "Anyway, he pressed the button and turned the portal on, being blasted by a huge amount of electricity in the process."

"Or ghost energy. Electricity would have killed him," Sam corrected. "Since then, he's been half-ghost and fighting off all the ghosts trying to make their home in our world."

"Why don't you let them?" Chad queried.

"Can you imagine letting the Ghost Zone's 'greatest hunter' "—she used the quotation marks—"making his home in the human world? The home of endangered species?"

"I resent that! I wouldn't hunt all of them!" Skulker protested, glaring at Sam.

"Point taken," Uryuu said, raising an eyebrow at Skulker's antics. "Is that why he was after Ichigo? Because he was an unusual specimen?"

"Exactly," Skulker said, nodding. "His stuffed toy would also be a great prize."

"You don't mean Kon, do you?" Orihime said.

"Is that his name?" Skulker looked thoughtful. "Well, whatever his name is, the stuffed bear is certainly intriguing."

"What's going on back there?" Sam cut off Skulker's musings. "We met Walker before seeing these three and he said it's in calamity."

"Dozens—maybe more—of those masked monsters have overrun the Ghost Zone," Skulker said somberly. "It's why we didn't pester the ghost child in your world. We had to fend them off. It got worse later. It must have spiked after you left."

"The same red attack from a hollow sent you here, right?" Tucker asked.

"That's right," Skulker affirmed.

"Do you have a theory about this if you're asking?" Urahara asked Tucker.

"We do," Tucker answered. "Walker and his goons, Skulker, and we all were dumped here after being hit by a red light. We were hit by a ghost; Walker by a hollow; and Skulker also by a hollow. It's just something in that light."

"But how did the hollows from here end up in _our_ world?" Sam asked. "Not to sound smart or anything, but wouldn't it require an enormous of energy to transport people across whole dimensions? It's not like traveling through outer space."

"You're right about that," Urahara admitted. "This red light you speak of is probably the attack known as cero. It's quite common among hollows. But this is a new development if ceros are capable of transporting you from your world to here."

"But if ceros have energy to cross across dimensions, shouldn't Ichigo and I have already made such a journey?" Uryuu pondered.

"It's a new development," Urahara said. "There's some bigger force behind this."

"Aizen?" Chad suggested.

"He's been relatively quiet as of late," Urahara disagreed. "I don't think it's him. But we shouldn't rule out the possibility. This is right up his alley."

"Who's Aizen?" Tucker asked.

"It's a long story," Orihime said just as Uryuu said, "It's probably better explained when your friend is here, too."

"Why?" Sam demanded.

"It concerns him as well," Uryuu said simply. "He should also know what's going on at home."

"That reminds me," Sam said. "We need to get to Soul Society so we can get Danny back. Uryuu told us that you have a portal that's capable of this."

"I do have such a portal," Urahara said.

Sam waited a minute for Urahara to elaborate but when he didn't, she pressed further. "Well?"

"But I don't think it's right for you two to go into Soul Society," he said.

"What?" the two cried. "Why?"

"Danny's our friend!" Sam objected. "We need to help him!"

"From what you tell me, he's been holding off ghosts in the human realm in your world and I've heard that he's been dealing with hollows here, too," Urahara said. "I think he can handle himself in Soul Society. If anything happens, I have a source that will inform me."

"What if it's too late?"

"It's never too late," Orihime said optimistically.

"But why _not_?" Sam still wasn't giving up. "We always do everything together! We've faced all kinds of threats together!"

"You've faced _every_ kind of threat that's come your friend's way?" Urahara said disbelievingly. "I find that hard to believe without a single supernatural weapon in your arsenal."

"Well, no," Sam admitted quietly. "Not _every_ threat."

"This is a threat that you two will have to stay behind for," Urahara said. "You two do not have the abilities to traverse Soul Society. Your friend does and has the added bonus of having an invitation."

"When we invaded Soul Society," Orihime said, "it was really difficult. We did get to fly, though."

"Danny flies every day," Tucker replied.

"So it's settled then? You two will stay here with your friend Skulker." Urahara beamed.

"He's not our friend," Sam muttered, shooting a warning glance at Skulker. "And he better not attack Danny the instant he comes back."

"I didn't even know the whelp was here," Skulker protested.

Sam raised an eyebrow and tapped her foot.

Skulker realized what she was waiting for and reluctantly supplied some more. "But I won't hunt him when he comes back."

"Good," Sam said menacingly. "If you didn't, I can assure you that the consequences would not be pretty."

"Like your smell?" Uryuu suddenly said, leaning back a little. "You stink like you took a bath in a dumpster."

Both Sam and Tucker hesitated. "Well…"

* * *

"So you're back," Soifon said imperiously. "What did you find in the castle?"

"Among a bunch of obstacles placed behind doors and the master of the castle, the Fright Knight," Saburou said, "we found this tome." He waved Yoshirou forward and he held out the tome in both hands.

Soifon's dark eyes inspected the ancient book carefully. In curly script all over the front cover read "The History of The Ghost Zone".

"Did you find out what this Ghost Zone is?" she asked, taking the book from Yoshirou.

"No, taichou," Saburou said. "We had to leave before we were able to find anything of any significant importance besides this tome."

"What happened?" Soifon demanded, her eyes narrowing. "This mission was supposed to be secret and low-profile. Not only did you set an army of zombies on the Seireitei, but you revealed your presence in the castle! Is there anything you _did_ do right?"

"We explored most of the castle," Katashi offered. "It's made up of mostly doors and dark halls. We didn't manage to find the place where the Fright Knight was staying but I think we covered a fair bit of ground."

"We also ran into Zaraki-taichou," Saburou said. "He was fighting the Fright Knight."

"The master of the castle?" Soifon raised an eyebrow. "Zaraki was fighting the Fright Knight?"

"Yes," Saburou confirmed.

"I should've known he'd do something like that," she muttered, scowling. "He can never resist a good fight. What happened?" she snapped.

"He lost," Saburou said disbelievingly. "They knocked down a wall in front of us and we watched him just get pummeled into the ground. Yachiru-fukutaichou was there, too, and ran off with him before the Fright Knight could do anything."

"After that?"

"He confronted us," Saburou continued. "He was threatening to attack us but we ran off before anything happened. That's when we managed to get back to you."

There was silence as Soifon absorbed both this information and the tome she still held in her hands. She closed her eyes, thinking.

"This needs to be taken to Yamamoto-soutaichou," she said finally. "But first"—she opened her eyes—"we need to talk to Zaraki about what he's found out from this spirit."

"He insisted he was a ghost," Jurou corrected.

"Do I look like I care?" Soifon snapped, making Jurou cringe. "Whether or not he's a spirit or a ghost, Zaraki fought him and probably talked. He might have some valuable information. We need all the help we can get with this zombie army on our heels." She glanced out of the window at the sky, which was dotted with green zombies. They were already among the buildings and hacking everything in sight.

Without another word, she swept out of the room they were in. After a quick glance, the four Covert Ops set off behind her. They were also curious as to what Kenpachi had found out from the ghost.

In no time at all they were at the fourth division's barracks and in the medical division. It took even less time for Soifon to navigate the halls and find Kenpachi in the middle of dozens of shinigamis. Unohana was hovering above him. The others were merely staring at the sight of the hundreds of zombies that were attacking Seireitei.

"There you are," Soifon said, coming to a stop at Kenpachi's side. "I heard you fought the spirit in the castle."

Kenpachi grinned crazily at the memory. "Good fight," he commented. "One of the best I've ever had." He then frowned. "But also one of the less gruesome," he muttered, apparently disappointed. "He could've just killed me!" Kenpachi was now scowling at the ceiling, upset at the fight's conclusion.

Soifon gripped the bed railing tightly, her knuckles turning white. "We don't have time for your complaints!" she said sharply. "I need you to tell me everything about what you found out up there!"

"Please keep your voice down," Unohana said softly. "He's still recovering from his fight."

"There's a crowd of zombies invading Seireitei as we speak!" Soifon continued, bringing her voice down a notch. "Tell me everything the spirit told you. Every bit of information helps."

"He didn't tell me anything that'll deal with those," Kenpachi admitted, looking at a green zombie that stared into the window. It grinned, showing missing teeth, and was about to raise its broken sword when one of the shinigamis cut it in half with a zanpakutou, shattering the window during the process.

"But what _did_ he tell you?" This was like pulling teeth…

Kenpachi ran over the fight in his mind, thinking about the brief interludes of quiet they had where they exchanged banter. "There was this one thing," he started.

Soifon pounced on that. "What?"

"He knows Fantomu," Kenpachi said.

Soifon gripped the bed railing even tighter. "Obviously! Didn't you hear the kid when we were discussing the problem?"

"Taichou," Unohana reprimanded. "Mind your tone."

"The kid defeated the ghost king according to the knight," Kenpachi recalled. "He's also called a _halfa_."

"What's a halfa?" Katashi asked, leaning over the bed at Kenpachi's other side.

"The kid's half-ghost and half-human," Kenpachi explained. His thoughts about walking the line between life and death returned to him. "Is that even possible?"

"Interesting," Soifon said, her mouth curling into a smirk. "Only _half_-ghost? And the other half is human? This is certainly intriguing."

"Walking the line between life and death?" Jurou muttered in wonder. "How can that be?"

"I don't know," Soifon said, staring straight ahead. "But we're going to find out. Yamamoto-soutaichou needs to know."

* * *

**I know. There's no mention of Danny but that's in the next chapter. I think there are at most three chapters left in this arc but you never know. Sometimes the story runs away from me. I hope you liked the interaction between Urahara and Danny's friends. I had fun writing that part. But in my opinion, chapters where information is revealed are always the hardest to write. What do you think?**

**Constructive criticism is always welcome. Please REVIEW!  
**


	18. Meeting With The Fright Knight

**Ugh. I'm not entirely happy with how this chapter turned out but I think it's the best it can be under the circumstances. There were several scenes that I had started to write out but then dumped because I just felt displeased with it. In any case, this chapter is over 5,400 words, a decent length in my opinion.  
**

**Thanks to _Anthiena, Piece of Toast, SpartanCommander_, and _ImmortalPhantom22 _for reviewing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach _nor _Danny Phantom_.**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Meeting with the Master of Halloween**

* * *

"Have you unscrambled the readings yet?" Kurotsuchi peered over his daughter's shoulder as she continued to type on the keyboard.

"Almost, sir," Nemu answered, pressing one more button. The screen stopped changing readings and fixed on one. "This is as much information as the screen can make from the information we gathered from the ghost."

"Is there anything else in particular that it could take?" Kurotsuchi asked, fingering his golden "beard" as he studied what was given on the screen. "Any samples or residue from the ghost?"

"The ghost did phase through the containment chamber," Riku offered. "Perhaps he left something behind on the glass."

"Check it," Kurotsuchi ordered. "If there is anything there, I want you to run tests on it immediately."

Riku immediately ran over and started checking the glass where the Box Ghost had phased through. The others were checking through what Nemu already had on the computer.

"This particular species of ghosts seems to have unusually high energy readings," Kurotsuchi observed. "I wonder if this could be a reason as to why they are visible to mortals."

"I found some residue!" Riku rushed over with something in a small bottle. It was glowing a bluish-green for some reason.

"Good! Now put it in this container and we'll get to the bottom of this mystery." Kurotsuchi gestured to an open canister on the keyboard.

Riku put the bottle in it and a small door instantly slid closed, sealing it shut. The computer began to process the sample, giving hundreds of numbers that looked like gibberish. It took several minutes until the numbers stopped flowing, becoming fixed and giving several lines.

"These ghosts appear to be made of ectoplasm," Nemu said, reading through them quickly. "Particularly dense ectoplasm."

"They seem to be fully capable of manipulating this ectoplasm, too, in order to gain several different abilities," Kurotsuchi mused. He read through the rest swiftly before clapping his hands and turning around. "Perfect! We shall head up to the castle and see what else we can find out. Perhaps this Fright Knight knows a bit more about ghosts than Fantomu was willing to tell us."

"I wonder why that was," Riku muttered, poking a jar with a floating eyeball in it.

"Excuse me?" Kurotsuchi snapped.

Riku yelped and stood to attention. "Nothing, sir! But…" He gulped. "I heard something about…_zombies_ out there. There's been an alarm sounding for the last five minutes."

Kurotsuchi waved a hand nonchalantly. "Not a problem. They will be no match for us anyway." He turned to Nemu. "Get your zanpakutou. We will be heading up there in half an hour. Make sure that you have everything."

Nemu nodded and disappeared in a flash, presumably to do what her father had told her.

Instead of being ready in half an hour, both taichou and fukutaichou stood on a roof amidst a sea of zombies in fifteen minutes. Kurotsuchi's robe was billowing dramatically in the wind.

"Let's go, Nemu," Kurotsuchi said, jumping up off the roof. He gathered the spiritual particles in the air and jumped up, his daughter following closely behind.

"I believe I see a flaming knight up there right outside the castle," Nemu called softly. "He seems to be watching."

" 'Fright Knight'? More like 'Flame Knight'," Kurotsuchi scoffed, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the Fright Knight's gigantic purple cape and purple flame on his helmet. "There is no reiatsu whatsoever. Is he even as strong as Fantomu makes him out to be?"

By this time, the two were right under the ghost of Halloween. He heard the chattering and looked down, instantly catching sight of the two shinigamis just standing on thin air.

"You!" the Fright Knight said upon seeing Kurotsuchi and recognizing him from earlier. "What are you doing here?"

"Asking you become an experiment with certain privileges," Kurotsuchi replied, grinning.

The Fright Knight blinked, staring down at the mad scientist with disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"Now, I am offering the first week with minimal invasive surgery and only a few experimental shots," Kurotsuchi continued. "Perhaps a bit more surgery and experimentation during the next two weeks?"

The Fright Knight unfolded his arms and changed his floating position so that he was floating right above them, his sword held out threateningly. "You must be mad if you think I'd even consider such a thing," he said coldly.

"Then perhaps I will just take you by force," Kurotsuchi said, placing a hand on his zanpakutou's hilt. "What's going to stop me?"

"I will," the Fright Knight said calmly.

"I am the taichou of the twelfth division and head of the Shinigami Research and Development," Kurotsuchi began. "Do you really think that you have the strength to go up against a taichou?"

"If your previous taichou was any indication of your strength I shall have to answer 'yes' to that."

"Previous taichou?" Kurotsuchi asked, cocking his head to the side. "You mean there was someone else here?"

"The insane taichou that wouldn't recognize a knight's code of ethics if it hit him in the face?" the Fright Knight suggested. "He was quite a challenge initially until I adjusted."

"Zaraki?" Kurotsuchi looked back at Nemu for a moment.

"I didn't hear anything of the sort," Nemu said in answer to his glance. "I must've missed the news."

"Yes, well…" Kurotsuchi turned back to the Fright Knight. "Have you reconsidered your decision?"

The Fright Knight's green eyes narrowed and he bent his knees briefly before zooming towards Kurotsuchi.

"Nemu, go into the castle and grab anything you can find," Kurotsuchi hissed towards his daughter.

"Yes, sir." Nemu vanished then, blurring as she shunpoed towards the castle. The Fright Knight didn't even notice her disappearance as she had seemed to blend into the background.

Kurotsuchi dodged the Fright Knight's initial attack and quickly activated his shikai. "Kakimushire, Ashisogi Jizou." His zanpakutou changed into a three-pronged golden sword with a fat cherubic face right above the hilt.

The Fright Knight whirled around and saw Kurotsuchi's zanpakutou's new form. "Interesting sword. But is it more for show?"

"Of course not," Kurotsuchi snapped, diving down to meet the Fright Knight.

The Fright Knight floated aside and let Kurotsuchi fall forward. He brought his Soul Shredder up and swung it downwards to try and cut the shinigami. Ashisogi Jizou came up and blocked the Soul Shredder by locking the hilt between two of the prongs. His sword occupied, the Fright Knight brought one of his legs up and kicked the taichou down, freeing his weapon during the process.

'_Absolutely no reiatsu._' Kurotsuchi's zanpakutou clashed with the sword with a variety of sparks. '_This guy must be extremely weak. If I just do a little bit of this…_'—he released some of his reiatsu that he had been holding back—'_…he should be at my feet in moments!_'

However, much to his surprise, the Fright Knight didn't even flinch as the reiatsu beat down on him. Instead, he kept pushing Kurotsuchi down, having the advantage of height.

'_How is this possible? He should have folded like paper! He certainly didn't do this the first time!_' In the middle of his thoughts, Kurotsuchi quickly realized the disadvantages of being right under the Fright Knight. He knocked aside the green sword and jumped up to a higher location. '_What did he say earlier?_'

_"If your previous taichou was any indication of your strength I shall have to answer 'yes' to that."_

'_Drat that Zaraki!_' Kurotsuchi seethed as he held off the Fright Knight's jabs with Ashisogi Jizou. '_His fight let him adapt to reiatsu!_'

Accepting that he wouldn't get the upper hand with releasing his reiatsu, Kurotsuchi reined it in, jumping back as the ghost suddenly shot a green light at him through his sword. He didn't expect what happened next: The Fright Knight's eyes flashed purple and the same color of eyebeams hit him in the chest, causing him to lose focus and freefall through the air.

'_No choice for it then_,' Kurotsuchi thought, finding his footing in the air, a full ten feet below the Fright Knight. '_I will have to activate my bankai._'

"Given up, taichou?" the Fright Knight demanded, his sword tip flaring green. While he hadn't managed to land a blow on the shinigami, he knew that he could end this fight quickly. "You can't win."

"I wouldn't say that so soon," Kurotsuchi cautioned him, smirking.

"And why is that?"

"You will see in a moment." Kurotsuchi held out his zanpakutou. "Bankai! Konjiki Ashi—" He was suddenly cut off just before he finished it.

"_Hey!_ Fright Knight! Over here!"

Peeved that he couldn't finish the fight on his own, Kurotsuchi turned to see who had interrupted it. The Fright Knight had already seen the white-haired ghost floating on eye level, his arms folded across his chest with a confident smile on his face. Surprisingly to Kurotsuchi, there were a bunch of other ghosts—he assumed they were ghosts because they were odd colors—behind the teen.

The ghost of Halloween simply said one word: "Phantom."

* * *

The slim black-haired fukutaichou of the twelfth division crept along the dark corridor. There were open doorways up here, unlike on the lower floors where all the other doors had been. While she knew that she should have looked into all of them, she also knew that she didn't have the time to do so. Besides, how would Kurotsuchi ever find out that she had practically skipped the other four levels?

In any case, these rooms were furnished and seemed to be lived in. She had passed through a bedroom, a bathroom of sorts, a dining room, a kitchen, and was now in what seemed to be a living area. Nemu would have passed through this room just like all the others if it were not for an extremely interesting tapestry covering an entire wall on the opposite end. There was a sofa on the right wall next to the wall with the tapestry. A wide window right above the black sofa let light into the room.

Quietly, Nemu approached the tapestry. It was a depicture of a green environment with floating doors and ledges. If it were anything else, she would have left it there but it was the strange background that compelled her to take it off and roll it up. She quickly darted into a few other rooms before deciding to leave. She had no idea how long her taichou would be able to detain the ghost in the first place.

Nemu went back to the room that had held the tapestry and looked out the window. She couldn't see anything other than the green zombies down among the buildings of Seireitei. With her path clear, she threw herself from the ledge and plunged towards the ground, using the pull of gravity to accelerate her fall.

As soon as the ground came close, she stopped her fall by gathering the spiritual particles in the air and using them to cushion her fall. The zombies never even noticed her silent fall as she dropped into the midst of them.

She would wait for her father in the lab.

* * *

"Does anyone have any ideas about what we should do about the mess outside?" That was Ichigo, still looking outside.

Everyone naturally looked towards the two ghosts in their midst. Or, to be more exact, they looked at Danny. The ghost teen's green eyes darted between each of the faces and he realized that they were expecting him to come up with a plan.

"Oh, so _now_ you respect my status as a living member of the world?" he said, annoyed.

"You're not alive," Ichigo pointed out.

"Fine. Nonliving, then." Danny folded his arms. "Does anyone _else_ have any ideas to toss around? If I still had my thermos I'd just suck them all up but since that's destroyed I can't do it."

Before anybody could answer him, he was muttering under his breath, his chin held by one hand and the other on his waist. His brow was furrowed in thought.

"Fantomu?" Hitsugaya tried.

Danny instantly replied, "Those zombies are being controlled by the Fright Knight. If I can't get rid of them individually, I say we go up and get them at the head."

"How?" Hitsugaya asked. "Didn't you say that he's a powerful ghost?"

"He is powerful," Danny admitted, "but he's got a crucial weakness. Does anyone have a pumpkin here?"

"I do recall you saying something about sticking his sword in a pumpkin," Ichigo commented.

"I don't think anybody grows pumpkins here," Hitsugaya said.

Danny frowned. "That's a problem. If we can't stick his sword in a pumpkin we'll have to try something else."

"Perhaps you should just face him yourself," Byakuya suggested, finally adding his input.

Danny jerked slightly but didn't comment at Byakuya's sudden participation. He did think over the taichou's suggestion. "It's a good idea," he agreed, "but even I would have trouble subduing him. Even with another powerful ghost helping me he managed to get away."

"You've faced him before?" Hitsugaya interrupted.

"Well, yeah. Don't you remember that I told you before? This time, however, it was because of the ghost king…"

"You have a ghost king?" Hitsugaya cut in again, sounding dismayed.

"Not anymore," Danny said. "He's locked up in a sarcophagus. He was a horrible king anyway."

"Most kings are," Ichigo muttered, his back to the window. He glanced outside for a quick moment.

"_Anyway_," Danny started, annoyed. "I said it was a good idea. If you guys back me up I might be able to steal the Soul Shredder from him."

"And then what?" Byakuya asked.

"It should be easier to fight him then," Danny said. '_At least I hope it will be._' Aloud: "The first time I fought him I was still new to the whole fighting scene and he got the sword back easily. If you guys help me it should be a lot easier to get him somewhere where he can't cause any damage."

"So it's agreed then?" Hitsugaya looked around at all the faces in the room. He ignored the Box Ghost.

"You are facing the feared master of Halloween?" the Box Ghost asked Danny, tugging at the teen's arm.

"Shh," Danny warned him, pushing his hand down.

"But he's scary!" the Box Ghost protested, ignoring Danny's signals to shush.

"He's the _master_ of Halloween," Ichigo said before Danny could get a word in. "Of course he's scary!"

"He's insane!"

"So are you," Danny pointed out. "You haunt boxes."

"He controls zombies!"

"Which is why we're going up there," Danny said, muffling the Box Ghost with a gloved hand. He looked at Hitsugaya for confirmation. "Right?"

After the two taichous shared a look, the white-haired boy nodded determinedly. "Right. We'll be right after you."

Danny raised an eyebrow at the phrase. '_That makes it sound like I'm bait or something._'

"You make it sound like he's bait," Ichigo complained for Danny.

"He's not. He's merely the one who knows the most about his opponent."

'_What an excuse._' Danny mentally rolled his eyes but nodded outwardly. "Come on. We'll get going then."

"This way." Hitsugaya turned to lead them out of the room but was stopped by Danny.

"No. That way will take too long," Danny explained, seeing the others' questioning looks. "We're doing this my way. Hold on tight." Still keeping one hand on Hitsugaya's arm, he reached for Byakuya; Ichigo grabbed the taichou's sleeve just as the halfa turned everyone intangible.

"I will not follow you!" the Box Ghost proclaimed, folding his arms and glaring at the ghostly hero.

"See if I care," Danny replied flippantly. "Just don't cause any trouble."

He flew through the ceiling, dragging the shinigamis with him and leaving a blue ghost alone in the room. The Box Ghost remained there for a full minute until five green and mutilated zombies phased into the room. Giving a girly scream, he instantly fled after the others, leaving five confused zombies in his wake.

* * *

Zennosuke was leading Walker and his crew down into the zombies. The zombies did try to attack them but were repelled instantly by blasts from both the ghosts and Zennosuke's zanpakutou. After a few dozen or so were knocked aside, the smarter ones got the message and stayed away. Unfortunately, there were more dumb zombies than smart ones and they kept coming.

Bullet blasted a zombie with a well-placed ecto-beam and then spotted something—or rather, _somebody_ on a rooftop not too far away. He called Walker's attention to the person.

The warden looked and smirked, his lips curling into an evil grin. "Well, well, well." He stopped in midair, seeming immensely self-satisfied.

Zennosuke stopped moving, landing on a rooftop. He couldn't understand as to why Walker had stopped. "Is something wrong?"

"I've found him," Walker said, sounding satisfied as well.

Zennosuke looked around. "Found who?"

"That punk won't get away from me now," Walker continued.

Still puzzled, Zennosuke kept scanning his surroundings until he caught sight of what had Walker so interested. "Oh! That's Fantomu! Come on, we'll—"

"Bingo," was all Walker said, promptly cutting the shinigami off, as he sped off, his goons close on his tail.

"Hey!" Zennosuke protested, following them at a much slower pace. "Slow down!"

Walker hadn't even noticed how all the zombie ghosts close to the small group were reduced to a pile of ectoplasm. He was rudely alerted to the situation when he felt a crushing weight on his shoulders that threatened to wipe his existence altogether. He barely managed to hold his form together and was forced to land on the ground, followed by Bullet and the other guards. One of them didn't make it as he hadn't the willpower to keep his form together. The others then stayed behind, just out of reach of the pressure.

Walker knew that it wouldn't be as easy as he thought it would be to get Phantom where he wanted him. He gritted his teeth and resorted to shouting. He _was_ going to get his hands on Phantom. Even if he had to lose the element of surprise.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, the Box Ghost had just phased through after the group and pounced on Danny, preventing them from getting any further. The zombies had instantly noticed the group and charged towards them, only to be squashed by the debilitating reiatsu all three of the shinigamis suddenly released.

"Get off me!" Danny grunted, prying off the obstinate ghost's arms.

Ichigo helped the half-ghost by restraining the Box Ghost, holding the blue ghost's arms firmly. "Better?"

"Much. Thanks," Danny said appreciatively, shooting the Box Ghost a nasty look. He felt something pushing down on him but brushed it off. "Now we can—"

"_Phantom_! You worthless good for nothing punk! Stop hiding behind your pathetic guard and get over here!"

Danny's head whipped around. He recognized that voice. His eyes widened when he saw Walker and his familiar posse of ghosts behind him. Then he noticed something strange. Only Walker and Bullet were particularly close to him. The other goons were a distance behind them and just floating there as if they didn't dare to come any closer. On second thought, it looked like the warden and his second-in-command were straining under some heavy weight.

"Found me, punk?" Walker called, smirking. Danny thought it seemed rather forced. "Good."

"Do you know them?" Hitsugaya asked.

"I do," Danny said, his voice cold. "The white ghost is Walker and the other is Bullet. The goons behind them are Walker's guards."

"Guards?" Hitsugaya inquired. "Why would he need guards?"

"Because he's the Ghost Zone's warden," Danny explained in a low voice, not wanting Walker to hear him. "He has this big prison and locks up all the ghosts that he deems are lawbreakers. The problem is that no one knows what his laws are. They're all in a big book that only he has."

"How does that help the Ghost Zone?" Ichigo frowned, trying to figure it out. He still had one hand on the Box Ghost's shirt collar.

"It doesn't," Danny said. "I was arrested myself because I brought human technology into the Ghost Zone. I broke out later with the help of the other prisoners but he's had it out for me ever since."

"_Phantom!_" Walker's shout cut off any further explanations. "I said stop hiding behind your guards!"

"Why doesn't he come over here himself?" Danny muttered, scowling. He looked up worriedly, looking at the Fright Knight's castle. He could see something happening up there but wasn't sure what it was. It did look like the Fright Knight was fighting someone, though.

"He can't," Byakuya said, still seeming impassive.

It was then that Danny noticed the various piles of ectoplasm scattered around them. He was shocked upon seeing a zombie getting reduced to a mere pile of ectoplasm when it got too close.

"Why?" was all he could ask. The piles of ectoplasm around him reminded him too much of what had happened to his "cousin", Dani Phantom. He shuddered at the memory.

"We're releasing our reiatsu," Hitsugaya explained swiftly. "The army would be too much otherwise. You don't feel anything other than a slight pressure because we're just pushing it outwards."

"Do you want us to relieve the pressure on those ghosts?" Ichigo asked, implying Walker and his goons. He then started as the Box Ghost phased out of his grip and jumped behind Danny, hiding behind the teen's legs.

Danny frowned thoughtfully, ignoring the ghost behind him. "Hang on a moment," he said. His next few comments were directed towards Walker: "If you want me to stop hiding I have to ask something of you in turn."

"You're in no place to make demands," Walker started. "We're—"

"In no place to make demands," Danny interrupted, his face stern. "Unlike me. You probably feel the pressure on you. It's because of the shinigamis, who are _not_ my guards. They could probably increase the pressure and really reduce you a pile of ectoplasm." He discreetly caught a few nods from the shinigamis with him, confirming his statements. "Now I say it once more: If you want me to stop hiding I have to ask something of you in turn."

Walker looked like he wanted to bite his tongue off but he did reply. "Fine. What do you want?"

"You will no longer come after me or my friends under the pretense of arresting me."

"It's not a pretense!"

"Then don't come after us under the _assumption_ of arresting me. Got it?"

Walker scowled and seemed to grit his teeth in anger. He finally answered: "Agreed."

Danny suddenly smiled, but it was a ferocious smile. "Good." To the shinigamis he said, "You can let up on the pressure now."

They complied, letting the ghosts convene around the small group. Zennosuke stood behind the shinigamis, only raising an eyebrow at the sight of the Box Ghost, who was now cowering behind Danny's legs, half-phased into the roof.

"Are you going to do anything to them?" Hitsugaya murmured to Danny.

Walker had caught the movement. "Whispering is against the rules! Either speak up or don't speak at all!"

Danny glared at Walker while Hitsugaya only appeared mildly disconcerted.

"How about this: Either _you_ keep your mouth shut or try to keep your remarks polite," Danny snapped. "The Fright Knight is right above our heads as we speak and we need to figure out something so we can deal with him."

"What do you mean '_we_'?" Walker interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "We never said that we'd help you."

"But he's supposed to help you!" Zennosuke said. "That's why you're here!"

Everyone looked at the shinigami. Danny looked surprised; Walker glared; the taichous just wore various expressions of surprise, anger, and impassiveness.

"No," Walker denied. "We're here because _you_ said that we had to come in. We never said that we actually needed Phantom's help."

"And what do you mean by help?" Danny asked, thinking he had a good idea.

Walker was about to say something when Byakuya cut into the simmering argument. "That's enough!" His tone held authority and they immediately quieted. "We are in the middle of a full-fledged invasion and we do not have time for such squabbles. Is it possible that you could hold your fight until after we deal with the pressing issue at the moment?"

Danny pressed his lips together, merely looking at Walker. He was perfectly willing to work alongside the warden; it was Walker's choice if he chose to work alongside them or just hang around at the bottom as zombie food. Or perhaps the _zombies_ would be food…

Walker seemed to grind his teeth as he contemplated Byakuya's words. Finally, he spit his answer out, sounding extremely reluctant. "Fine. We'll come with you. But _don't_ expect us to do anything for you," he added threateningly.

"Fine with me," Danny said, shrugging, internally relieved. "Just hang around at the back. You'll do great for intimidation."

"Great," Walker grunted, sounding anything but "great". "We're some stupid punk's bodyguard."

Danny rolled his eyes but didn't comment. He merely turned back to the shinigamis behind him, barely registering the Box Ghost still hugging his legs. Cocking his eyebrow in question, he received his answer in the form of several firm nods. He was about to grab Hitsugaya when the boy took off, jumping on some invisible ledge in the air.

He watched, shocked, as the others followed suit. Danny then shook himself out of his stupor and shook the Box Ghost off before flying ahead of everyone else. The Box Ghost hid himself among Walker's goons, flying with them in a big group.

'_That castle is insanely big,_' Danny thought, shooting an ecto-blast at a random zombie and zooming straight ahead at the castle at 150 mph, leaving the others in his imaginative dust; his legs disappeared into a tail. As a result, he arrived at the castle in a mere five seconds and turned invisible, just observing the battle that was going. Dr. Jekyll, or Kuro-something, apparently had the guts to engage the Fright Knight in a one-and-one duel.

The two were too enraptured in their sword fight to even notice the arrival of about a dozen or so ghosts and four shinigamis. Danny turned visible to let the others know where he was and they all came up behind him, the taichous just a couple of inches behind Danny.

Hitsugaya suddenly hissed angrily. "Baka! He's going to activate his bankai!"

"What's a bankai?" Danny whispered, still keeping his eyes focused on the fight. His eyes narrowed briefly when he saw the shinigami the Fright Knight was fighting suddenly hold out his sword with the prongs facing downward.

"You don't want to know," Ichigo said for Hitsugaya. "Just stop them before it gets too big for your own good!"

Wondering about Ichigo's choice of words, Danny did just that, cutting the mad scientist off in the middle of a weird phrase. "_Hey!_ Fright Knight! Over here!"

Danny plastered a cocky smile on his face, knowing that he had to appear the part to the Fright Knight. He had effectively captured their attention and noted that Kurotsuchi seemed rather peeved. The Fright Knight was silent for a short moment, apparently just absorbing the scene before him.

Finally, he spoke. "Phantom."

Danny was going to reply when the Fright Knight suddenly jumped on him, his Soul Shredder aiming for a cut. He barely threw up a shield in time, causing the blade to glance off and miss him. The Fright Knight followed this initial attack with a kick but Danny let the leg phase through his belt, putting his hands up defensively.

"Whoa! Slow down!"

The Fright Knight said nothing, merely trying to slash Danny with his sword. The ghost teen bolted out of the way quickly and dashed backward a couple of feet, safely out of the Soul Shredder's reach.

"Why are you attacking me?" Danny demanded. "I didn't do anything!"

The Fright Knight deemed this worthy enough to answer. "You're here."

"So?" Danny put up a flat shield when the Fright Knight jumped forward and attempted to strike him. The Soul Shredder hit the green energy with a _thud_. He kept it up as the Fright Knight tried once more. "You're here, too, and I didn't attack you!"

"You attracted my attention," was all the Fright Knight said to that.

Danny looked like he might shout but refrained. He kept his tone low but his teeth were gritted. "My friends over there told me it might be a good idea seeing as how your opponent was going to activate something they called 'bankai'."

The Fright Knight didn't give the shinigamis a glance. He focused all his attention on trying to pierce the shield Danny stubbornly kept up. "Perhaps you will be willing to explain to me as to why I should care."

"I'm not asking you to care! Could you just…"—the shield dropped here and Danny ducked out of the way of the blade, letting energy envelop his hand as he knocked aside the blade—"…stop fighting for a moment and listen?"

"One reason, Phantom," the Fright Knight ordered, keeping up a barrage of slashes. Danny just kept dodging, knocking aside the blade with his glowing hand when that didn't suffice.

"Well, first off…Walker and his gang are just floating there, ready to jump in at a moment's notice." Not quite true but the Fright Knight wouldn't know that… "Then don't forget the shinigamis just standing there, too."

"They are no match for me," the Fright Knight stated, slashing the air horizontally right above Danny's white hair.

The nimble halfa simply ducked and came up on the Fright Knight's other side, again putting up a shield, this time surrounding the Fright Knight in a half-dome. "Maybe not as one-on-one but all four? Don't forget the other ghosts," he cautioned. "Think carefully."

The Fright Knight held his sword up for one more moment as he gave Danny's allies a long look, seemingly considering his options.

* * *

**Several minutes earlier as Danny is reasoning with the Fright Knight…**

"Aren't you guys going to back him up?" Ichigo asked the ghosts behind the tiny group.

"He asked for an intimidation factor," Walker said, his arms folded across his chest. "That's what we're here for."

Ichigo opened his mouth but was cut off by Byakuya's flat tone. "This is Fantomu's fight as you can clearly see, Kurosaki. He seems perfectly capable of handling the knight."

Ichigo found that he couldn't argue with that as he saw Danny effectively holding the Fright Knight off, talking to him all the while.

"In that case," a new voice said, "I am also perfectly capable of handling a measly spirit like that."

He was met with a chorus of indignant replies as they all told him, "_Ghost!_"

Kurotsuchi merely waved his hand. "Yes, yes. Regardless, why did he interrupt our fight?"

"You were going to activate your bankai," Hitsugaya said, appearing stern. "Did you even stop to think about what that would have done?"

"Of course. It would have won me the battle and I'd have a new specimen to examine."

Ichigo shuddered noticeably at that but Hitsugaya forged on resolutely. "Did you think about the poison that your zanpakutou releases? If it had been released at this level, the gas would have spread throughout the entire Seireitei!"

Kurotsuchi was silent then. Ichigo rolled his eyes upward, sure that the mad taichou hadn't even thought of that. He threw a quick glance behind them, noting that the ghosts Danny had managed to calm down were just floating there, watching the fight unravel between the Fright Knight and Danny. Although, it was more of a one-sided fight since all Danny was doing was blocking.

Then they heard what Danny was saying as the fighting abated for a short moment. "Maybe not as one-on-one but all four? Don't forget the other ghosts. Think carefully."

Ichigo frowned momentarily before realizing that something had passed while they were talking with Kurotsuchi. He could only wait until the Fright Knight gave his answer.

* * *

_The Fright Knight held his sword up for one more moment as he gave Danny's allies a long look, seemingly considering his options._

Finally, he put the sword aside and gave a firm nod.

"Truce, then?" Danny asked to be sure, letting the shield dissipate and offering his hand.

"Truce," the Fright Knight agreed, taking the proffered hand in a firm grip and shaking it once.

Danny smiled, relieved. "Great."

* * *

**The next chapter should be an epilogue of sorts as it wraps up this arc. At least, that's what it should be if the story doesn't run away from me again. Anyway, what did you guys think? Let me know by REVIEWING, please!  
**


	19. Secrets Revealed

**I apologize in advance for any discrepancies regarding how Soul Society reacts to everything in here. I hate writing revelation chapters. There are so many things that can just go wrong and the characters in _Bleach _are so...stiff. I hope I captured their reactions properly. Let me know by the end of the chapter what you thought.**

**Thanks to _SpartanCommander, ImmortalPhantom22, Piece of Toast, Saisix, Slayer End, Pointless, AlbinoChocobo, Preemptive Karma, Vanster X_, and _Azelf1717 _for reviewing the last chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach _nor _Danny Phantom_.**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Secrets Revealed**

* * *

"_Half_-ghost, you say?" Yamamoto asked, only the opening of his eyes revealing his intrigue. "You are absolutely certain in this assumption?"

"Absolutely, soutaichou," Soifon responded. "The Fright Knight himself said so to Zaraki. We also have this book on the Ghost Zone's history."

"This Fright Knight could be lying," Yamamoto said.

Soifon was about to object when Yamamoto continued, "However, this seems unlikely because of how Fantomu is his enemy."

"There is also the book," Soifon repeated.

"Have you looked at it?"

"I have not had the time to," she admitted reluctantly.

Yoshirou shifted the tome he was holding. It was true that they hadn't had the time but it was more due to Soifon's eagerness to report to Yamamoto than anything else.

There was silence for several minutes. Soifon moved to break it. "What should we do?"

Yamamoto considered this for a short moment. "I will call a meeting. We need to discuss our next move."

"And the book?"

"Look into it. Perhaps there is something else of use in there." Yamamoto scrutinized Soifon. "I assume there is a reason as to why you did not give it to Kurotsuchi first."

Soifon inclined her head, not wanting to voice her opinion of the mad scientist.

"Very well. You and your subordinates should have enough time to inspect more closely at this time."

The Covert Ops agents perked up at this. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

_"Truce, then?" Danny asked to be sure, letting the shield dissipate and offering his hand._

_ "Truce," the Fright Knight agreed, taking the proffered hand in a firm grip and shaking it once._

_ Danny smiled, relieved. "Great." _

"Now that you guys have a truce you can talk!" Zennosuke said excitedly.

Everyone looked at the overly excited shinigami.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Ichigo said blandly.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Zennosuke objected, scowling. "I brought these ghosts here for a reason!"

"The same reason we brought Fantomu here?" Hitsugaya suggested.

"No!" Zennosuke said forcefully. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at Zennosuke's forceful tone and the shinigami hurried to correct his mistake. "Er, I meant no, taichou."

"Then why'd you bring them here?" Ichigo prompted, glancing askance at the imposing Walker and his horde of goons.

"Hang on," Danny interrupted. "First things first: You need to release that shinigami from your sword."

The Fright Knight narrowed his eyes momentarily. "What shinigami? The one from earlier, you mean?"

"The one with the tattoos," Danny confirmed.

"Abarai-fukutaichou's gone?" Zennosuke asked, alarmed. "And he's in a sword?" He stared disbelievingly at the Soul Shredder the Fright Knight was holding.

"You missed a lot while in Karakura," Ichigo said helpfully.

Zennosuke rolled his eyes at the obvious comment but wisely chose not to retort. He was going to say something else when three things fluttered up and towards each of the taichous. Danny couldn't see what they were until they held out their hands and he saw three butterflies land on their fingers.

"_Jigokuchous_," Ichigo said, raising both eyebrows in surprise. "I wonder what they're saying."

"What are those again?" Danny hadn't understood.

"Jigokuchous," Ichigo repeated. "I told you about them before, remember?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, rather embarrassed. "You did but…I kind of…forgot." He shrugged helplessly. "Do you mind giving me the rundown again?"

"They deliver messages back and forth between shinigamis. They also help the travel between Soul Society and the human world, meaning that you don't have to travel through the world we did. Spirits making the first passage from the human world to here also have a jigokuchou to help." Ichigo frowned. "Come to think of it, I never saw a jigokuchou arrive when I tried the konsou on you."

"That might be because I'm not a spirit. They should be able to tell the difference between you and me better than you can."

Ichigo could tell that there was thinly veiled insult in Danny's words and was about to call on it when Byakuya said something. "There has been a meeting called among the taichous. We are all expected there and if Kurosaki and Fantomu could come, it would be for the best."

"What about the Fright Knight?" Danny asked, pointing a thumb in the ghost's direction. "Or Walker for that matter? We can't exactly leave them up here."

"Yamamoto-soutaichou did not expect us to encounter more ghosts," Hitsugaya said. "I do not think it would be a problem for them to come along with us."

"And while we're on that subject, what about all the smaller zombies down there?" Zennosuke inquired. "I don't think Yamamoto-soutaichou will appreciate that many ghosts in one room with him."

The Fright Knight peered down. "They are mere ectoplasmic beings made from my power." He put his hands together as if he was praying and focused for a moment. There was a blinding flash of green light a second later and when their sight had recovered, everyone looked down to find it zombie free.

Danny blinked in surprise. "Whoa."

The Fright Knight let his arms drop to the side. "Does that take care of the problem?"

"So you mean to say that you could do that the whole entire time?" Hitsugaya demanded.

"Of course."

"Then why didn't you do that before?"

"I didn't think of it."

There was silence for several moments.

"So!" Danny said cheerfully, trying to dampen the tension in the air. "What do you say we see that old guy now?"

"Yamamoto-soutaichou to you!"

"Whatever."

* * *

"I assume that none of you are aware as to why I called this meeting," Yamamoto began, looking at the room.

"Something about the zombies?" Komamura Sajin, taichou of the seventh division, suggested. His large wolf head showed nothing beyond the fact that he was paying attention to everything Yamamoto was saying.

"At the moment we are waiting on several of our taichous," Yamamoto said.

"Where is Kurotsuchi?" Ukitake asked, noticing the other taichou's conspicuous absence. He knew that Hitsugaya and Byakuya had been interrogating the spirit. The white-haired taichou also noted Kenpachi's bandaged chest but didn't comment. They would soon find out anyway.

"Here and present," Kurotsuchi said, suddenly appearing in the doorway. He was closely flanked by Hitsugaya and Byakuya.

"Where were you?" Kenpachi inquired, sounding rather suspicious.

"Peace," Yamamoto said sternly. "We did not meet here to interrogate each other." He addressed Hitsugaya and Byakuya next. "Are the others with you?"

Byakuya inclined his head forward as Hitsugaya replied. "Fantomu is with us. However, we also have a few other guests."

Everyone perked up at this. They all looked at the doorway, waiting for the appearance of the white-haired ghost that had created such a stir by his arrival.

* * *

"So you want us to wait here?" Ichigo said, folding his arms across his chest. He didn't look happy.

"Just until Yamamoto-soutaichou calls you in," Hitsugaya answered. "Try not to make a mess here, will you?" This last bit was directed towards Danny and the other ghosts.

"I really don't know why you think we'd do that," Danny said, sounding insulted. The Fright Knight was behind him on his left side, his arms also folded across his chest. On the other side were Walker and his goons. The Box Ghost was hidden somewhere in the midst.

"Just stay quiet," Hitsugaya ordered.

With that said, the three taichous left the waiting room the others were in. There was silence for a couple of moments.

Finally, Danny couldn't stand it anymore. "What do you think they're doing in there?"

"Knowing them, they're probably taking their time talking about what to do next," Ichigo replied. "It's really laidback here when it comes to their government."

"They have a government?"

"I guess you couldn't exactly call it that either," Ichigo admitted. "It's more like a hierarchy with the shinigamis at the top and the spirits at the bottom. Taichous are the highest rank, fukutaichous the next, and then come all the regular shinigamis under them."

"It doesn't sound too complicated," Danny said.

"It's not complicated at all!" the Fright Knight scoffed, having listened to Ichigo's explanation. "Under Lord Pariah's rule, this was exactly how things were organized."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you sure it wasn't just Pariah saying, '_This_ is what we will do! Obey or be vanquished!' " His voice had taken on a poor mimicry of Pariah Dark's voice much to the Fright Knight's chagrin.

"How dare you insult Lord Pariah!"

"Last I remember, _you_ were the one standing behind Vlad!"

The Fright Knight couldn't seem to find an answer to this. Instead, he kept fuming, his Soul Shredder clutched in a tight fist as he silently raged against the halfa. Zennosuke, who was standing rather close to the ghost, silently slid away, slightly scared at the killing intent emanating off the ghost.

A sudden cry distracted them from their new silence. "Hey! Get off me!"

The Box Ghost was thrown out of the horde of goons and dumped on the ghost of Halloween. The Fright Knight immediately thrust him off and onto Danny's head. The ghost clutched the ghost boy's hair, blocking his sight and causing Danny to stumble into Ichigo, barely missing Zennosuke while he did so. The substitute shinigami fell backwards himself and right through the doorway the three taichous had earlier disappeared into.

"Agh!" They were all piled on top of one another with Ichigo at the bottom and the Box Ghost at the top.

Danny managed to pry the Box Ghost off his head. "Get off me!"

"Beware!" was all the Box Ghost said before catching sight of who else was in the room with them. He became silent, shrinking back into the doorway.

"That's everything you've got to say?" Danny asked bitingly. " 'Beware'?"

"Hey, Fantomu," Ichigo whispered, also seeing the shinigamis in the room. Their stares were making him nervous.

"I really don't see why we should 'beware' of you!" Danny continued, ignoring Ichigo. "You're scared of your own shadow!"

The insult riled the Box Ghost up. "Hey! I am not scared of my own shadow!"

"_Fantomu_!" Ichigo hissed, finally catching Danny's attention.

Danny looked up then and stopped cold. He got up quickly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Ah ha…" He chuckled nervously. "Sorry." To help take his mind off the strange stares—or glares in the cases of Hitsugaya and Byakuya—the shinigamis were giving him, he poked his head back through the doorway and called, "You guys can come, too."

Then, much to the surprise and shock of almost every shinigami present in the room, the Fright Knight, Walker, and his lackeys waltzed right in through the doorway and simply floated around Danny and Ichigo, who was just getting up.

"What the—?" Soifon spluttered, not being able to believe her eyes. She pointed at the Fright Knight. "What is _he_ doing here?"

Danny caught several of the taichous reaching for their zanpakutous and said sharply, "It's fine. We have a truce."

"For now," the Fright Knight corrected, shooting glares in Kenpachi's direction. The taichou was merely grinning insanely.

"And what of these other ghosts?" Soifon demanded, meaning Walker and his goons.

"That'd be my doing, taichou," Zennosuke spoke up. "I haven't yet had the time to explain to them why I brought them here."

"Then do," Soifon snapped.

"Enough," Yamamoto intoned, power reverberating through his tone. "Bickering like small children will do nothing." He addressed Danny next. "Are these ghosts to be trusted?"

Danny considered this for a moment. On one hand, Walker wasn't a friend and couldn't exactly be trusted. On the other, Walker was out of his element here and the Fright Knight would most likely not side with the warden if he tried to cause a stir. Danny highly doubted any ghost would if they knew about Walker's reputation in the Ghost Zone with his policy for enforcing unwanted rules.

"They can," he finally said, shooting Walker a warning look. It read, "Stay quiet and don't say anything."

Walker merely scowled and stiffened but he didn't do anything. The presence of so many other intimidating shinigamis with the three he already knew had him biding his time until it was appropriate for him to make his move.

"Now that we have that taken care of and everyone is present," the man in the pink "dress" said, looking lazy, "are you going to tell us why you called the meeting?"

'_Why did he want **us** present?_' Danny wondered. '_We have no part in this Soul Society of theirs. Could it have something to do with us?_'

"Wait a moment," Ichigo interrupted whatever Yamamoto was about to say, earning a couple of shocked looks. He merely scowled his signature scowl and said, "The Fright Knight still hasn't released Renji from that nightmare realm of his. I waited this long because I thought it was the best thing to do but now we've waited long enough."

The Fright Knight inclined his head slightly and held his Soul Shredder out with the tip facing downwards. There was a short flash of green light and a figure was silhouetted in it. When the green light vanished, everyone was left blinking to clear the spots out of their eyes. By the time their vision was clear, they all saw Renji, who had collapsed to the ground.

"Renji!" Ichigo kneeled down by his friend. "Are you all right?"

The only reply he received was a feeble groan that half sounded like a moan of terror. Ichigo looked slightly disconcerted now. "Renji?"

A loud shriek from the fukutaichou startled everyone in the room as Renji suddenly sprang to his feet, knocking Ichigo back. "G-get away from me!" Renji backed up against a wall and slid down, his whole frame trembling. His face was ashen; his eyes too big and his pupils dilated. His breath came out in harsh gasps. It was easy for anyone to tell that he was hyperventilating and not sure where he was.

"Easy, Renji," Ichigo said in what he hoped was a calm voice. "You're all right now." Right after that, he shot the Fright Knight a deadly glare, who merely shrugged in response.

However, instead of calming the panicking man, it only served to agitate him further as he shrunk away from the orange-haired substitute shinigami.

In the meantime, Unohana was frowning slightly, observing Renji's condition from her position in the taichous' ranks. When Ichigo's third try at trying to calm him down failed, her mouth pressed into a thin line and she called out softly, "That's enough, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo turned back to her. "Huh? He still hasn't snapped out of it!"

"He won't," Unohana said firmly, her face still set in its mask. "I don't quite know what he experienced while trapped but whatever it was traumatized him to the point that he cannot think clearly. It will require a great deal of time before he is able to return to his former duties as a fukutaichou."

Byakuya had closed his eyes by now and seemed to be listening impassively to Unohana's report on Renji. His right hand's fingers had twitched, however, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by Danny, who was observing the sixth division's taichou.

'_It looks like that guy **does** care about his subordinates,_' Danny thought, keeping his mouth closed. His eyes flashed over to Renji, feeling immensely guilty. '_I should've thought about him sooner. Why didn't I? Since I didn't, he's now like…like **this**…_' He closed his eyes briefly, swallowed his guilt down with some effort, and then opened his eyes again studying everybody else in the room. '_Still, regardless of how I feel, I can't let it drag me down. Not here. Maybe afterwards…_'

"But you haven't even examined him!" Ichigo argued, his stance defiant. He was still standing right above Renji, who had thankfully passed out.

"There is no need to," Unohana said softly. "He displays all the symptoms of—"

"I don't care about that!" Ichigo interrupted, scowling furiously. "Can't you _do_ something about it? Your medicine is better than the stuff in the human world, isn't it?"

"Stand down, Kurosaki," Byakuya said, his gray eyes regarding the furious shinigami coolly.

Ichigo didn't. "But—"

"Enough!" Yamamoto finally stepped in, his voice thunderous. "We still have not reached the topic of what we were to discuss. Regrettably, Abarai Renji has as of now been disabled. He will be dismissed from his duties until further notice." His eyes landed on Unohana, a silent question in them.

"Of course," Unohana said. She left the room for a short moment and then came back with a woman who had her gray hair in two braids, almost similar to her taichou except for that she still had a somewhat boyish haircut.

"Isane will take him to the hospital," Unohana said.

Kotetsu Isane, fukutaichou of the fourth division, started slightly on seeing the condition of one of her companions. She kept her mouth shut, though, and merely lifted him up, inclining her head in Yamamoto's direction before leaving the room. It was dead silent after Renji's absence, as almost no one knew how to broach the subject Yamamoto was fixed on bringing up.

"We are here because of a matter that has come up regarding the ghost we know as Fantomu," Yamamoto began.

'_This doesn't sound too good,_' Danny thought warily.

"You are all aware that we sent in a special team to scout out the castle. Zaraki Kenpachi went up as well to engage the Fright Knight. Both groups came back with valuable information."

'_What could they have found?_' Danny shot a look at the Fright Knight, who remained impassive.

"Soifon's group came back with a tome"—the Fright Knight stiffened noticeably—"and Zaraki with something interesting of note."

With this said Yamamoto looked at Kenpachi. The taichou of the eleventh division picked it up from there. "The Fright Knight told me something very interesting," he said, grinning. "When we were fighting I asked about Fantomu. Do you know what he said?"

Danny's eyes widened and he fought to keep himself from panicking. '_No…_'

"Fantomu here is only _half_-ghost," Kenpachi said, every word falling like a hammer. "And the other half…is human."

There was stunned silence in the room for several moments. Nobody could believe the bomb Kenpachi had just dropped.

_Half_-ghost? The very thought seemed unthinkable—not to mention impossible. Who had ever heard of anyone who was both a ghost and a human?

"W-what?" Hitsugaya was the first to speak, his aquamarine eyes enormous. "_Half_-ghost? H-how can that be?" He stared at Danny as if he was an alien.

Danny gulped inconspicuously. '_Crud. This is **not** good at all._' He shot the Fright Knight a glare. '_Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?_'

The Fright Knight stared back, only a small rise of his shoulders signaling that he was remotely apologetic for what he had done. Walker was smirking rather unpleasantly, making Danny snap his eyes elsewhere. This time they landed on Ichigo, who looked like he was figuring out a complicated problem, his brown eyes on Danny.

'_Shikyo is Danny. Fantomu, or Danny, has traits from **Danny**, which sounds completely illogical._' Ichigo studied the growing look of alarm on Danny's face. '_Both Dannys have the same blue mist, which is weird enough. Danny vanishes mysteriously whenever **this** Danny shows up. "Shikyo" means "death", which is already weird enough. Now add the fact that he's half-ghost and you have…_'

Ichigo's eyes gleamed suddenly much to Danny's alarm. '_What did he just figure out?_'

"You're Shikyo!" Ichigo blurted out. "There was something just bugging me about you three and now I know! You're Shikyo!"

Danny involuntarily took a step back, his eyes wandering over to the other shinigamis in the room. They all wore varying expressions of shock, bemusement, wonder, and—in Kurotsuchi's case—insane greed and curiosity. Danny shivered slightly upon seeing the last, resolving to never be caught by "Dr. Jekyll".

"You mean that kid with the name of 'death'?" Zennosuke asked, staring at Danny. "Fantomu is _him_? How is that even possible?"

"Ask Fantomu there," Kenpachi said, nodding towards Danny. "He's the one who's half-ghost. And if what Ichigo said is any indication, the Fright Knight wasn't lying."

"Besides," Soifon added, "we have further proof. This tome"—she held out said tome—"is about the history of the Ghost Zone, which is where the ghosts are from. It seems to be self-updating as it contains even recent events."

"Such as?" Zennosuke prompted.

"Such as the event of a young mortal called Danny Fenton getting caught in a blast of highly concentrated energy. This burst of concentrated energy molded to his DNA, creating the being that we are seeing right here today."

"But how is it that a person can walk on the line between life and death?" Ukitake asked, astounded. "Such a trip is perilous to say the very least."

Even though things were spiraling too quickly for Danny's liking, he did catch what Ukitake had said. "I'm not dead!" he objected, stung. "Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I'm dead. Your spirits are different from my kind."

"Enlighten us," Kurotsuchi invited, his eyes gleaming.

Even though it went against his every instinct, Danny took a deep breath and prepared to say what his theories regarding ghosts were. "My parents are ghost hunters of sorts. As their name says, they hunt ghosts."

"Do you mean to say that you have _parents_?" Ukitake interrupted.

"Yes," Danny sighed, irritated. "I wasn't born this way, you know. Like Soify"—he was treated to her infamous death glare—"over there said, I was caught in a blast of concentrated energy from my parents' ghost portal."

"Do you mind me asking what you were doing in a ghost portal anyway?" Ichigo inquired.

"The 'on' button was inside and I pressed it while trying to figure out what was wrong," Danny answered, shrugging.

"Who puts an 'on' button inside a portal?" Hitsugaya sounded disbelieving. "That's just idiotic!"

"My dad does. In any case, when I pressed the button the energy needed to activate the portal got bonded to my DNA, making me a hybrid. I'm half and half," Danny concluded.

"But to be a half-ghost means that you would have to have ectoplasm bonded to your DNA," Kurotsuchi said. "Just raw energy wouldn't change anything. You would have died in the accident."

"Ectoplasm powers the ghost portal, meaning that when I activated it ectoplasm got bonded to my DNA," Danny explained.

"How does this set you apart from us?" Soifon asked. "We spirits are also made of ectoplasm."

"You guys are," Danny agreed, although he hadn't known that before, "but there's a noticeable difference between us. You guys are invisible to everybody else but we"—he gestured to the ghosts behind him—"aren't."

"And you don't know why?" Kyouraku queried, rather intrigued.

Danny shook his head once. "No. Besides that, the ghosts of my world are more of a different species. None of us are spirits—or ghosts—of the deceased."

"Then what are you ghosts?" Byakuya asked the million-dollar question.

The Fright Knight spoke for Danny. "As Phantom said, we are not ghosts of the dead. We are our own kind, made from the gathered emotions of hundreds. These emotions collect in the Ghost Zone, which is our home. The ectoplasm gives it substance and a ghost is born."

Everyone was looking at the Fright Knight by the time he'd finished. In the midst of the silence Danny was getting increasingly nervous, not knowing what awaited him. He had essentially been backed into a corner, meaning that he had no choice other than to answer their questions. Now, however, he was sure that they didn't have any more questions, leading him to think that there was only one thing left: experimentation. Kurotsuchi looked too happy for his taste.

'_But I could probably escape,_' Danny thought. '_After that it just hinges on my escape plan. I just hope it works._'

Unbeknownst to Danny, Ichigo's mind was also working furiously, knowing from experience that Soul Society would not treat Danny kindly due to his unique status. '_Even if he is half-ghost, Danny hasn't done anything bad. But still…that won't stop them from doing something horrible to him._' Ichigo's mouth twisted as he remembered Rukia. '_I may not know him that well but no one deserves what Rukia was going to get. But something tells me that what they have in store for Danny is much worse, especially since Rukia was just another shinigami to them._'

Both of their minds made up, they waited for Soul Society's verdict. Danny gulped, still keeping his rigid posture to not betray to any enemy that he was inwardly panicking.

In the meantime, however, Hitsugaya and Byakuya were wrestling with their own interpretations of the ghost boy. Neither of them could deny that he was very powerful, but he also used his abilities for good.

'_He never did anything against us even though he had plenty of chances to,_' Hitsugaya mused. '_His mind was set on defeating the Fright Knight and getting back to his friends. There is nothing malevolent about him._'

Byakuya's thoughts were ranging from being extremely guilty to torn. '_Is it worth breaking a promise to my parents to save a child I hardly know? A child that is innocent from any actions the other ghosts took? What is right to do here?_' He glanced briefly at Ichigo, only his eyes betraying the movement. '_Kurosaki would just ignore the rules and save him. But for me it is not that simple. Perhaps it would be best if I just…yes…that might work._'

Byakuya's resolve strengthened and his mind set, he returned his attention to the outside world, paying attention to Yamamoto's stance. The soutaichou still hadn't done anything other than to seem thoughtful, yet Byakuya knew he was evaluating Danny from all angles. From experience, he knew that his decision would probably not be promising for the half-ghost. Yamamoto was nothing but cautious, and that normally meant harm for those that were deemed "dangerous".

Zennosuke was thinking heavily on what the two mortals in Karakura Town had said regarding their friend. He knew that they were both extremely worried about Danny but overall, the concerns of two mortals weighed next to nothing compared to Yamamoto's decision. It did, however, weigh on his conscience that their friend might possibly never return to the human realm. He had no idea what to do.

'_I'm just a shinigami who doesn't even have a say in these decisions_,' he figured. '_I can't do much of anything with Yamamoto-soutaichou's decisions. But I suppose I could just remain neutral. …Perhaps help out Fantomu if he needs it?_' After further consideration, he decided that it would most likely be the best course of action. '_Good. Now all it will take is time._'

Then Yamamoto spoke: "Your comments are intriguing to say the least." His eyes were open and he was peering at Danny, who shifted nervously under his penetrating stare. "Your kind has much to offer us."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Walker demanded, the soutaichou's comment stinging him.

"Watch your mouth, ghost!" Soifon snapped immediately, glaring at him.

"Peace!" Yamamoto said before the argument could escalate. His gaze rested for a long moment on both offenders until he deemed it quiet enough to continue. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, your kind has many abilities not seen by shinigamis. Indeed, because of your being a different species this has much to do with it. Your help could be greatly valued in our ongoing fight against the hollows and Aizen Sousuke." As he said this, most of the ghosts frowned, not knowing who he was talking about. None of them dared to interrupt him again, however, instead letting him continue. "However, we have never seen the likes of you before, Fantomu," he said, his gaze resting on Danny.

'_I knew I was sensing a "but" here,_' Danny thought, disgruntled.

"You wield a great deal of power; and great power like yours is often uncontrolled."

Danny began to dread where this was going.

"Such uncontrolled power can be dangerous to those around you. Your origins as a half-ghost are intriguing as well, but dangerous. People will go to a great deal of trouble to replicate what has happened to you. In view of these thoughts, I must deem you a threat to Soul Society and the human world."

Danny's eyes widened in surprise. Even though he had expected it, it still came as a big blow to him. "_What_?"

"You will not be allowed to leave this place," Yamamoto continued, ignoring Danny's outburst. "Your allies will remain here as well."

"I'm not dangerous!" Danny objected. "I can control my power! You don't even know me!"

Not even raising his voice over Danny's objections, Yamamoto persisted: "It has been decided, then, that Fantomu, the Fright Knight, and the other ghosts will remain here in Soul Society in containment."

"If I may ask, sir," Kurotsuchi started, "what do you intend on doing with them?"

Yamamoto turned his gaze to the scientist. "Until their great power can be harnessed, nothing can be done."

"Perhaps I could help," Kurotsuchi offered, his mind already running over the experiments he could subject them to.

"In your dreams!" Danny snapped, his hands turning into fists. "There's no way I'll become an experiment of yours, you twisted fruit loop!"

Kurotsuchi ignored Danny's insult for the most part; his eyebrow did twitch momentarily.

"I shall consider what you have offered," Yamamoto said. He looked at Soifon. "You may take them away and confine them until a decision has been made."

Soifon gave a crisp nod. "Yes, sir!" She smirked at the ghosts. "You won't be going anywhere!"

"There's no where we can go anyway," Danny said bitingly. '_At the moment,_' he added silently. '_That's going to change soon if I have anything to say about it._'

Soifon simply continued to smirk. "You won't be confident after a couple of days in confinement," she promised.

A shiver ran down Ichigo's spine. '_She's cold!_'

None of the ghosts had said anything else. Walker had been about to protest but a look from Danny and even the Fright Knight quieted him. It was only moments until the room was empty of ghosts.

"Kurotsuchi, do you have something of interest to report?" Yamamoto asked. "I know you well enough to know that you won't stand by idly with something so intriguing under your nose."

"I do, in fact," Kurotsuchi acknowledged. "In my research of these ghosts I came across a number of facts that will explain much."

"Any trade secrets?" Kenpachi inquired.

"About their anatomy," Kurotsuchi said, ignoring Kenpachi.

"At least it won't spoil a good fight," Kenpachi muttered. The word 'anatomy' had flown over his head; all he cared about were the good details about the fight. Who cared about the body? He knew that it bled and was easy to cut. Wasn't that enough?

"I compared a sample of their ectoplasm to ours," Kurotsuchi continued. "What I found is that their ectoplasm is extremely dense, so dense that it becomes visible to mortals. Ours is extremely light, making us invisible to almost everybody."

"And what about their abilities?" Hitsugaya asked.

"We are capable of manipulating the spiritual particles around us to our will. We do not have the ability to manipulate our own basic ectoplasm the way ghosts can. All of their abilities stem from this fact."

"But we can't fly the way they do," Ukitake said. "Didn't you say earlier that we are lighter? How is it that they fly effortlessly?"

"We focus the spiritual particles under our feet," Kurotsuchi explained. "Ghosts seem to be able to do it in such a way that it supports their whole body, making them 'fly'."

"Ghosts can turn invisible, too," Ichigo said, joining the conversation. "How is that possible?"

"Invisibility and intangibility are both abilities of ghosts. This is ectoplasmic manipulation at its basic. I have been able to discover that with intangibility ghosts spread their molecules thin to be able slip through objects' molecules without any difficulty. I theorize that with invisibility they spread it completely, making themselves blend in with the surroundings, effectively turning invisible."

"Is it possible for us to replicate and learn these techniques?" Hitsugaya asked.

"At the moment no," Kurotsuchi replied. "Ghosts have a much greater concentration of ectoplasm than we do, granting them access to these abilities. I do think, however, that with time and enough experiments—"

"Stop," Ichigo interrupted, looking disgusted. "That's more than what I needed to know and hear."

"Anything else?" Yamamoto prompted.

Kurotsuchi shifted his eyes from Ichigo—who he had been glaring at—to the soutaichou. "Not at the moment. Once I do get new information I will be sure to update you."

"Sir, what about this book Soifon has in her possession?" Hitsugaya queried. "Surely it must contain more information about these ghosts, such as what kind of temperaments they have."

"The book is about the history of the Ghost Zone," Soifon said. "It's not a dictionary or encyclopedia of the species."

"History does involve governments, does it not?" Byakuya said, his voice cold.

Soifon flushed slightly. "It does. Unfortunately, the Ghost Zone has only seen three forms of governments. One was a complete monarchy with a ruthless king, the second had absolutely no form of government, and the third cannot be called one."

"Then why did you?" Ichigo said just as Ukitake asked, "Who is in charge of the most recent one?"

Soifon glared at Ichigo while answering. "A ghost named Walker if I remember correctly."

Zennosuke started at that. "Walker was one of the ghosts just here!"

"Interesting," was all Soifon said.

"Apart from that, you're saying that ghosts have produced _nothing_ positive?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"The Ghost Zone is a brutal place with the inhabitants constantly trying to take over the human realm alongside it," Soifon said harshly. "There is nothing positive that the ghosts have to offer us."

Ichigo frowned at that, although he was already frowning; it merely deepened. '_Nothing positive? What about Fantomu? He's nothing like the other ghosts._'

Soifon's words had apparently closed the discussion, letting Yamamoto turn his attention to Ichigo. "Kurosaki Ichigo, you are no longer needed here and will be allowed to leave."

Ichigo opened his mouth as if to object and then closed it, realizing that this could be his chance. '_If I'm alone I could…_'

No sooner had he thought this than was Soifon at his shoulder. He gave a small exclamation of surprise before being pushed out into the next room, Soifon at his heels.

"Hey!" Ichigo started just as Soifon barked, "You five are going to escort Kurosaki back to his world."

All five of the Covert Ops in that room jumped to attention from various poses. Only one of them had been upright. "Yes, ma'am!"

"I'm not some parcel to be handed around at whim!" Ichigo complained.

"You're right, of course," Soifon said mock-politely. "You're a dynamite package to be handled with care." She then left before Ichigo could fire an insult back.

"Argh!" Ichigo clenched his hands. "She's so…so…aggravating!"

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" One of the Covert Ops claimed his attention.

"Yeah?"

"My name is Saburou. Now, if you'll come with us quietly there will be very little trouble…"

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the formalities but didn't say anything. He found himself flanked by two Covert Ops with the other three in front of him. '_Gee. It's like I'm some sort of prisoner._'

It was still bright outside by the time Ichigo left the building with his five escorts.

The moment Ichigo stepped outside it was as if a signal had been triggered. Just as his left foot touched the ground an alarm went off, making them whirl around in surprise.

"What's going on?" Ichigo demanded, not seeing anything dangerous.

"The prisoners have escaped!" the Covert Ops named Saburou shouted.

"They're not prisoners!" Ichigo objected.

"You're right," Saburou said grimly, grabbing Ichigo's arm. "They're escapees that are now on the run."

Ichigo was pushed forward by the other two. "Hey! How do you even know the prisoners have escaped? It could just as well be the alarm for lunch!"

"There are special alarms keyed for each event," the guy at his right explained. "We know each one intimately."

"Don't tell him everything, Jurou!" the Covert Ops on Ichigo's left snapped. "There are some things he doesn't need to know!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were past all the aggressiveness after Aizen became a fugitive and Rukia's name was cleared."

"Some things never change," Jurou muttered just low enough for Ichigo to hear.

'_That clears a **lot** up, thanks,_' Ichigo thought sarcastically, still finding himself being marched on. '_What can I do to help? I know I can take care of these bozos with no problem but I don't think I'll have any allies aside from the ghosts once I do. Or maybe they won't even be my allies. That Walker dude looked shifty…_'

Just as Ichigo was thinking this, he caught sight of something blue by one of the buildings. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw the Box Ghost with what seemed to be dozens of crates floating behind him.

'_Does that guy have absolutely no clue what the word "subtlety" means?_' Ichigo thought, dismayed. A quick look around showed that the Covert Ops hadn't seen him. '_But there's one thing I can do. These guys look dumb enough for it to work._'

Ichigo glanced one more time at the Box Ghost, who seemed uncertain now that he had caught sight of Ichigo and the Covert Ops. The substitute shinigami took a deep breath, fixed his gaze at a point directly opposite the blue ghost, and pointed. "Look! A plane!"

Against all odds, all five of his escorts looked. "Huh? A plane?"

One in front of him scratched his head. "I don't see any plane." He then looked at Ichigo curiously. "What's a plane anyway?"

"Never mind. It must have just been a bird." Ichigo shrugged, chancing a look over his shoulder. The Box Ghost had disappeared, evidently having enough of an IQ to recognize a distraction when he got one. '_Okay. One ghost down, several dozens more to go. I wonder what the rest are up to?_'

* * *

Elsewhere Hitsugaya was running alongside the buildings with his own squad of Covert Ops after him. He hadn't wanted them but they were still following him courtesy of Soifon. Matsumoto Rangiku was also with him but had no idea what was running through her taichou's head.

'_I have no idea how to ditch them,_' he thought, running besides a branching corridor. '_I can't just shunpo away; it'd be too obvious. How do I let them know that I have no interest in participating in this search?_'

The answer soon came in the appearance of a dark spirit with a flaming purple cape that was standing several rooftops away. Hitsugaya started for a split-second before resettling his features in an impassive mask.

'_I don't know why he's standing right there in the open but it's time I can do something. This is something Kurosaki would do but I've certainly seen its merits._' Hitsugaya's teal eyes glanced back at his entourage before he whirled around and pointed to the sky at an imaginary blob. "Is that a ghost?"

"What?" Everyone turned except for Matsumoto. She merely stared at Hitsugaya, knowing full well that he would never do something like that.

He gave her a look that told her he'd explain later. With that done, she decided to improvise, acting almost like a foolish girl that had too much sugar. "It must be the Fright Knight! He's scary!"

Hitsugaya simply looked over his shoulder to see that the Fright Knight had vanished. He smiled a small smile, returning his attention to the confused Covert Ops with him. His job was done for the meantime.

* * *

In the meantime, Byakuya was simply strolling along, completely unconcerned with what had happened. The Covert Ops following him were at a loss with what to do. They couldn't tell a taichou to hurry it up after all. It just wouldn't do.

'_There was a huge hole in the back of the __Senzaikyuu_.' Byakuya flashed back to seeing the enormous hole in the side of the Senzaikyuu, the enormous white tower in the middle of the Seireitei. '_So much power. How is it possible?_'

His brain was still on this train of thought when he saw Walker and his troupe floating above some rooftops right beside them. He spared a brief thought wondering why they weren't invisible before planning to ignore them.

'_But the others won't._' His eyes strayed to the Covert Ops. '_There is nothing I can do._'

Even as this thought flashed through his head, his surroundings demanded otherwise. Just as his right foot hit the ground and he was about to bring it up, he found it stuck to the ground. Byakuya looked at the ground to find that he had apparently stepped into…nothing. In the meantime, he had also stopped walking, bringing confusion into the group of Covert Ops with him.

"Is everything all right, sir?" one of them asked politely.

The taichou didn't answer, merely picking his foot up to see what he had stepped into. It was a piece of gum that a lazy shinigami hadn't bothered to throw away. He knew without looking that it was also on the underside of his shoe.

"There is gum stuck to my shoe," Byakuya said, keeping his foot off the ground in a highly dignified manner (Kuchikis _never_ look undignified, don't you know.) He was fully intending on milking this until the ghosts got the cue and vanished. It wasn't against the rules after all and without any reiatsu from the ghosts he could always claim that he'd never noticed them there.

"Oh…" They were all quiet, not knowing what to do next, staring at the shoe Byakuya was holding off the ground.

Secretly, the taichou smiled, a quick peek (no, a quick _dignified_ peek!) over his shoulder revealing that Walker had gotten the message and scrambled to safety.

Now, what to do about the gum…

* * *

Yamamoto-Genryuusai Shigekuni was standing right in front of the Senzaikyuu, his fukutaichou Sasakibe Choujirou standing by him. Both were looking at the damage wrought to the tall and once proud building. It was proud no longer with a gaping hole in the side twenty feet high and fifteen feet wide.

"Just how powerful are these ghosts?" Choujirou asked, still appearing rather awestruck at the sight. "The Senzaikyuu is impossible to break through…"

"They are powerful enough," Yamamoto intoned, his robe billowing in the wind. "I have everyone on the alert for them. They will not escape."

The only sound was the howl of the wind battering against the tower and the two shinigamis standing in the air. No one noticed the jigokuchou fluttering high above them all.

After all, it was just a jigokuchou.

* * *

**The mystery of how the ghosts managed to escape the Senzaikyuu, which is the white tower Rukia was imprisoned in, will be revealed in Chapter 21. No, I didn't miscount. The next chapter will be catching up on something completely different. It's time some other characters got to play a role in this story.**

**If you guys are also wondering what happened to Danny...can you guess? It should be pretty clear but that's just me...**

**So, any questions? Let me know what you thought of Chapter 19 in a review! I do not know when I can update next but I hope it will be soon.**


	20. The Other Dimension

**To be accurate, this chapter is about 9,600 words long, not over 10,000. _SpartanCommander _gave me the idea for the opening scene and it stuck with me. Besides, it DOES have a purpose...which will be revealed later. _ RunLyllithRun _gave me some help with Japanese names, which I am greatly grateful for. Thanks a bunch!**

**Thanks to _Azelf1717, Firehedgehog, Bored2Deth, Slayer End, Vanster X, stick fight3, Preemptive Karma, SpartanCommander, ImmortalPhantom22, Pointless, SamManson14, Piece of Toast,_ and _Ryoko the demon fox_ for reviewing the last chapter! I am really glad that none of you thought it was bad. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.**

* * *

** Chapter 20: The Other Dimension**

* * *

Inside a tall castle shaped like a large clock with many swinging pendulums on it is a room. Inside that particular room is a large bell, various medallions, and a stand with a swirly green viewing screen on it. By this room is another with a table in it. On this table is a battered thermos. It is quiet now…although on some days it will rattle violently with vicious curses and shouts emerging from the depths. These violent shouts never disturb the ghost that usually inhabits the other room. This ghost knows all and sees all. This ghost is Clockwork, the master of time.

And at this moment in time, Clockwork already received/was expecting/had expected several visitors. Of course, with Clockwork, nothing was ever "set" in time. But let's say for sanity's sake that it was happening now. That would mean that he was to be expecting several visitors as they hadn't arrived yet. These visitors were of no consequence to Clockwork; they just "were". And because they "were" Clockwork was expected to deal with them on order of the Observants, ghosts that viewed the time stream as a fixed object to not be meddled with (unless it was for the "good" of everybody). Clockwork couldn't care less about the visitors he was expecting; he had already seen all possible outcomes of the meeting. Unfortunately for him, the ones dealing with him not having to encounter them had vanished as soon as the Observants issued the order. So for the moment, he was going with the one that would give him the most amusement.

But at the moment, he already received/was expecting/had expected several visitors. Time, after, all, was never fixed. It did give a man unused to dealing with it many headaches, though.

Outside of this particular castle is nothing but an empty expanse of green. Ghosts don't like to be so close to an unknown force such as time. But whether they like it or not, Clockwork's domain travels everywhere, always outside of time unless he decides to appear in the Ghost Zone at that moment, making it visible to everybody. And what if you were searching for it? You wouldn't find it, of course, unless Clockwork allowed you to find it. He does know everything, after all.

But if the castle is always outside of time, why is it that he is expecting visitors? Simple enough to answer: The castle is inside time at this moment, not outside. There are occasions when it is absolutely important for it to be inside the timeline at a particular moment in history (for Clockwork, that is. For everybody else, it is simply the present.). The viewing screen in the room gives him the option to look at the "now" when looking at the "future" from his own mind. Such an ability helps him avoid disastrous timelines where everything goes wrong. In this case, it is necessary that the castle be in the Ghost Zone, for the consequences could be cataclysmic.

Because the castle is visible, a small party of spirits, or hollows if you want to be specific, noticed it during one of their random tours of the new environment. It is with great excitement that they make their way to it. They had already seen one other castle and on top of feeling completely frightened of it, they had all been forbidden to go near it. The second castle they'd seen had been absolutely no fun at all as the dragons there had burnt and roasted the hollows trying to breach its defenses. This castle, on the other hand, was ripe for the picking. It would be like taking cake from a baby…

Or, at least, that was what they thought.

The moment they opened the front doors they found that they were in for a surprise. There was a young, pale blue man in a violet robe in the main room. He had a staff in his hand and a lightning-shaped scar running through his left eye. In the middle of his chest was a small glass box with a clock in it. Both of his eyes were a solid red, although the overall creepiness of his outfit and body was slightly dampened by the small smile playing at the ghost's lips.

"Greetings," the ghost said, suddenly shifting into an old man with a long white beard. "Is there some way I can help you?" Then he smiled again as if enjoying a joke only he was familiar with.

The six hollows looked at each other, momentarily confused at the ghost's friendly greeting. So far they had been met only with violence and sometimes with screams, followed up with the ghost running from the hollows. But they soon snapped out of it, leering at the ghost, who was still amused.

"I am Clockwork," Clockwork said helpfully, "the ghost of time."

One of the hollows worked up enough of an IQ to speak. "We don't care about that!" it growled in a rough and guttural voice. "We care about our lunch!"

"Ah… I am afraid that I will have to say that I am not exactly tasty," Clockwork said, sounding regretful. "I would give your stomach indigestion." He shifted to a child, then; his staff shortened accordingly.

"A little wimp like you wouldn't even fill up half our stomachs!" the hollow sneered, pointing at Clockwork's miniscule form.

Clockwork merely smiled mysteriously, suddenly morphing into an adult and surprising all the hollows. "How about now?"

This was too much for the small group of five behind the smarter hollow. One of the tinier ones roared out a "SOUL!" and pounced on Clockwork, fully intending on swallowing the ghost whole.

The fight was supposed to be over the moment the hollow pounced on Clockwork. But it wasn't. The ghost of time simply pressed the small antenna-like thing on top of his staff and paused the hollow in mid-leap, also freezing the rest of the hollows in the process. Then he lazily turned back time, sending everything moving backwards in fast-motion. He stopped it just as the hollow had roared "SOUL!" and flew behind the group, resuming time in the process.

"SOUL!" The hollow pounced again, only to clang against the bell that had been conveniently located behind Clockwork's former position. "Huh?" It looked around, confused as to where Clockwork had gone.

"Perhaps looking behind you would yield more information," Clockwork suggested, looking like an old man that was simply leaning against his staff. Albeit an old man that was floating in the air.

All the hollows whirled around at the sound of his voice. Without another thought they jumped on him, only to freeze silently. Then Clockwork did something that was completely out of the ordinary for the ghost master of time. Smiling and humming a small tune under his breath while an adult, he began to rearrange the hollows' various positions in the air. Soon, they were arranged in a circle, about to pounce on each other and not on a ghost.

"Time in," Clockwork chimed, pressing the small antenna on top of his staff and time resumed.

The hollows were all immensely surprised to find that they landed on each other and not on Clockwork. The next minute was chaotic as the hollows scrambled over each other, trying to find Clockwork. Finally, they settled down, realizing that the ghost they'd wanted to eat wasn't there.

"Where is he," the leader growled threateningly. "I'm gonna rip him limb from limb and roast—"

"That is enough," Clockwork interrupted, deciding that "now" was the time to finish it. "I have entertained you six long enough."

The hollows looked up to see an old man floating above their heads. None of them moved, however, Clockwork's words keeping them still.

"I will send you off but with a warning," Clockwork continued, his face grave. "I do hope that you remember it." A small smile crossed his face at that but it disappeared quickly.

"What kind of warning?" the leader demanded, his yellow eyes narrowing.

"Inform your leader that the young half-ghost Danny Phantom is under my protection. Continuing to harass him will induce dire consequences."

"Such as what?" the hollow sneered, glaring up at Clockwork.

"He would do well not to find out," Clockwork answered, twisting something on his staff. "For now, you six have done enough here. I bid you farewell."

With that, Clockwork hit his staff on the top and pointed it at the group of bewildered hollows. The area around them began to distort and warp, making the hollows smaller as they fit inside it. It was with a final roar that they disappeared, leaving Clockwork alone in the large room.

Shifting into a child, Clockwork drifted over to the green orb, which was showing sporadic pictures. They flickered through the screen quickly, never landing on a single frame for more than a split-second. Then it settled, reverting to its normal swirly green.

The odd behavior of the orb did not have Clockwork concerned. His eyes were closed and a small smile played at his lips. The silence was broken by shouts and curses from the other room. Even this did not bother the ghost of time.

He did, after all, know everything.

* * *

"Ah…Nai Samurai…how go things in the Ghost Zone?"

"Well, Master," the samurai ghost responded, on one knee. "The hollows are gradually moving from the Ghost Zone to the human realm. They are causing chaos everywhere as we speak."

"So the human realm will fall, too." The smooth voice betrayed no emotion. Only a silhouette could be seen of Nai Samurai's master; he was sitting on what seemed to be a tall throne. Two horns were outlined and red eyes gleamed with just a tint of green. "Yet…"

Nai Samurai stiffened slightly.

"…why do I sense that you are withholding something from me?"

Nai Samurai remained silent for a moment. "My spies in Soul Society have sent a report," he said finally. "Danny Phantom is in Soul Society in the custody of the shinigamis. The Fright Knight was there, too, last I heard."

The master absorbed this information. "It is slightly troubling that Phantom is familiarizing himself with the shinigamis. But the fools are so narrow-minded that nothing will come of it. If he is still in Soul Society by the next report, I am sure that a small…invasion of Menos Grande and the smaller hollows will serve as a nice distraction."

"Master, if I may ask…"

"Ask, then."

"What value does the halfa hold for you? He is not even the most powerful of his kind."

"Perhaps not. But his potential is there."

Nai Samurai waited for an elaboration but none came. He didn't dare to ask for more, knowing his master's volatile temper. He went for a different topic.

"And what of Aizen Sousuke? His activities are interfering slightly with the hollows in Hueco Mundo."

"I have already sent somebody to introduce myself to him," the silhouette said dismissively. "Aizen will not remain a problem much longer."

"Are you intending on wiping his base out?"

"Wiping his base out? Of course not. Such a force should be allied with…until it is no longer necessary."

Nai Samurai nodded, seeing the wisdom in his master's words. Further conversation was cut off with the sudden appearance of a watch in midair. The hands on it went one circuit counterclockwise before opening a small portal and dropping six yowling hollows straight in their midst.

The master of Nai Samurai immediately got to his feet, a sudden pressure filling the air. Nai Samurai bent under it, turning intangible to avoid the force.

"What is the meaning of this rude interruption?" the master said in a low voice.

The hollows stopped making a ruckus, cowering under the relenting stare of the tall figure above them. The reiatsu wasn't helping matters either. None of them said a word.

"Well?" the master demanded again in that same low voice.

"Clockwork," one of the hollows whimpered.

The reiatsu ceased. "Clockwork, you say? And he put you here? What has happened in the Ghost Zone?"

"The Ghost Zone is mostly empty," the same hollow answered, gaining a bit of strength to its tone. "We have all moved to the human world. We stayed behind for stragglers."

"That has not yet happened to such an extent," Nai Samurai protested, raising both eyebrows in disbelief. "You lie."

"It is Clockwork's handiwork," the master said. There was a small glint at the mouth section, signaling that he was grinning. "He sent them back in time, presumably to send me a message."

"I thought he was a mere myth."

"He is very real." The master gazed hard at the hollows. "And he never does anything without good reason. He sent you here for a reason. Deliver to me his message."

"He says the half-ghost Danny Phantom is under his protection," a second hollow said in a guttural tone. Then it was silent, exchanging glances with the other five hollows.

"Do tell more," the master purred.

"Bothering him will make him angry," the first hollow eventually said, softening Clockwork's words. "He says that you shouldn't find out what he's talking about."

"I assume that you are editing his words. Such soft talk does not sound like Clockwork."

The master turned, folding long skeleton-like hands behind his back. "So it seems that the master of time himself has joined the fray," he mused. "Things are certainly becoming interesting."

Nai Samurai was uncertain. "Master?"

"We will keep moving forward with my plans," the master continued. "I look forward to seeing what Clockwork has in store."

"If I may ask," Nai Samurai started, "why do you wish to anger the master of time?"

"Threats from a ghost as idle as him never mean much," the master said, a nasty grin sounding in his voice. "We will not have to worry about him."

"And Danny Phantom then?"

"Continue with the plans. As I said before, if he is still in Soul Society by next report, send in a troupe of hollows to deal with it. It wouldn't be good for you if they kept their hands on him, hmm?"

Nai Samurai gulped quietly. "Of course not."

"Good." The master turned to the hollows that were still cowering on the floor. "As for you six, get out of my sight before I annihilate you. Your usefulness has expired."

Without another sound, the hollows scampered, leaving behind nothing good.

* * *

Danny was in right in saying that Amity Park was unusually quiet. But things did not stay quiet. Several hours after the trio were attacked and transported to the different dimension, the parents noticed that they were not responding to their calls. The alarm was slow to raise due to miscommunication but they soon realized that their children weren't there at all.

Jasmine Fenton, Danny's older sister, ran interference, thinking that Danny and his friends were off fighting ghosts .The camping story sold for a time with Danny's parents but Tucker's and Sam's were upset because of not being contacted for the details. However, it soon became obvious even to Jazz that something wasn't right. And that led to the current problem of her being interrogated by three pairs of very worried parents.

"But I'm telling you the truth!" Jazz, a young woman with her auburn hair tied back with a blue headband, was saying. "I really don't know where they are!"

"You were claiming that they went camping!" Pamela Manson, a red-haired woman in a flowery and frilly pink dress, said accusingly. "It's been three days and the weekend's long since over!"

"They were camping!" Jazz protested, lying now. "But they weren't supposed to be gone so long."

"I'll say!" Mrs. Foley, a dark-haired and dark-skinned woman, said, scowling.

"You're just as bad as your parents!" Jeremy Manson, a blonde-haired man in an outfit reminiscent of the fifties, said, his arms tightly folded across his chest.

"Now, now!" Madeline Fenton, an auburn-haired woman in a blue jumpsuit, scolded. "There's no need for insults!"

"Especially if it's directed towards my family!" Jack Fenton, a large graying man in a blinding orange jumpsuit proclaimed, grinning cheesily. Then he sobered up. "But, Jazzy," he said sternly, "you have shown extreme irresponsibility this time."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Jazz said, her teal eyes downcast. "I just thought it would be a good idea for them to have some time away from everything."

"Without informing us?" Mrs. Foley asked indignantly.

"That was a mistake," Jazz admitted. "I should've checked what Sam and Tucker told me."

"What did they tell you?" Maurice Foley, a dark-skinned and dark-haired man with glasses, inquired.

"That you guys had given them permission."

"We'd done no such thing!" Pamela cried.

"I know that now," Jazz said, grinning weakly.

"But now the question remains as to what we can do about it," Maurice said.

"Exactly," Maddie agreed. "Now, what I think we should do is—"

Loud crashing interrupted Maddie, making the parents and Jazz look each other, momentarily confused. They were all thrown off-balance then by the floor shaking under their feet.

"What happened?" Pamela shrieked, clutching Jeremy for dear life.

"Is it one of your blasted inventions?" Jeremy glared daggers at Jack.

"Well—" Jack started only to be cut off by a loud blaring. "Shivering spooks! That's the Ecto-Exodus Alarm!"

"The what?" everybody else outside of Jazz and Maddie asked.

"The Ecto-Exodus Alarm," Maddie explained, running over to a picture hanging above a random basket of fruit. It slid aside to reveal a green screen. "It tells when ghosts are invading the real world. But it's only gone off once before."

"When Pariah invaded, right?" Jazz said, paling slightly at the thought. If Danny wasn't here this would be a big problem. _Very_ big.

"Exactly." Maddie watched the screen show hundreds of mean ghost faces approach the portal. She whirled to face Jack. "We have to close the portal!"

"On it, Maddie!" Jack said, rushing towards the basement stairs. "No mere ghost is going to get past Jack Fenton!"

"All of you will stay up here," Maddie said, addressing the rest of the adults while flipping her hood up. "No exceptions," she added, staring sternly at Jazz.

Jazz looked reluctant but nodded. It was only until Maddie left that she crossed her arms and huffed. Tucker's and Sam's parents looked very apprehensive, shooting each other looks that showed they weren't entirely confident in Jack's and Maddie's ghost fighting abilities.

In the meantime, Jack and Maddie had made it to the basement, only to find absolutely nothing there and everything in a complete mess. Beakers were shattered, chairs and tables broken, the large containment vault Jack had used earlier for experimenting was completely smashed, and the ghost portal was open, the green inside swirling innocently.

"There's nothing here." Maddie let the ecto-gun she had prepared drop slightly. "But then, what was the crashing from?"

While Jack was investigating some of the spilled messes, Maddie went over to the control panel in one area of the room. It hadn't been damaged much but she needed to see if there was anything on the footage tapes. She'd barely touched the keyboard when a sudden force slammed into her from the side, throwing her across the room and into the far wall. She slumped down, unconscious.

"Maddie!" Jack cried, running over to her. He checked her pulse to see that she was still alive, if injured.

After making sure she would be relatively fine, Jack jumped to his feet, scowling furiously. "No ghost is going to get away with harming my wife!" he shouted, pointing his huge ecto-gun in different directions. "Especially if Jack Fenton has anything to say about it!"

No ghost appeared. Jack gritted his teeth and kept his guard up, aware that an attack could come from anywhere. He was alerted when a table seemingly knocked itself over. Suspecting that the ghost was there, Jack opened fire, expecting the ghost to appear.

To his surprise, however, the lab remained annoyingly "empty". But to his enormous gratification, his fifth shot seemed to hit something that flew backward, creating a noticeable _thunk_!

"Gotcha!" Jack crowed, grinning proudly.

Unfortunately, in his eagerness to avenge his wife, Jack had completely forgotten about the Ecto-Exodus Alarm. This turned out to be a grave mistake when the sides of the ghost portal suddenly gave an ominous creak. Jack barely had time to turn his attention to the portal when something bowled him over.

The enormous man remained pinned to the floor by an invisible force, his eyes darting about as he tried to see the source. He was therefore astonished when the ceiling burst open, prompting screams from those still upstairs.

'_No!_' Jack struggled for one more second before being able to stand. He grabbed his fallen ecto-gun and gently picked up Maddie before running up the stairs. "Jazz!"

"I'm over here!" His daughter's voice was coming from the living room.

Jack ran in only to find an enormous hole ripping out half of the floor. The Mansons, Foleys, and Jazz were all pressed against the wall, looking rather white. Jazz was the only one who had regained most of her color.

Jazz's face immediately lost most of this color when she saw Maddie's state. "Is Mom all right?" she asked hurriedly, leaning forward slightly. "Have you checked her stats?"

"Maddie's fine," Jack assured her from across the room. "She's unconscious for now. I whooped the ghost's butt that did this!"

"Great." Jazz nodded, pressing back against the wall.

"Oh, yeah." Jack rested his hand against his hip, the ecto-gun still in it. "Did any of you happen to see what kind of ghosts we're facing here?"

Jazz shook her head. "No. The entire floor just burst out and we were all thrown backward by some kind of force. We couldn't see anything beyond that."

"Is the couch gone?"

The seventeen-year-old pointed to the wall beside the doorway. Jack looked to see the blue couch; it was rather dusty but he laid Maddie down on it with the utmost care, taking her hood off as he did so. It was then that he noticed the stream of blood running down from her scalp.

He frowned, touching it softly to check if it was still bleeding. It wasn't. Giving a sigh of relief, he turned to see if there was any way for the others to move away from their precarious position. But it was unnecessary as Jazz was already leading them through some rubble to a safe spot on the floor.

As soon as she was out of danger, Jazz rushed over to Maddie's side, checking her head. She closed her eyes upon seeing Maddie's head injury but also gave a sigh of relief. Then she turned to Jack and nodded firmly, smiling ferociously.

"Wanna kick some ghost butt?" she suggested, the smile spreading across her face.

Jack grinned back. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"Oh, sugar cookies!" Vlad Plasmius, better known as Vlad Masters, was currently facing down a horrible looking monster with an enormous tail and huge teeth. The blue-skinned half-ghost with black hair that was shaped up in a "V" and solid red eyes bared fangs. "What are you supposed to be?"

"SOUL!" was the only thing it roared. It swiped a paw at Vlad, who just turned intangible.

"I do have to say that you don't in the least look like a soul." Vlad pretended to think for a moment before breaking out into a nasty grin. "Ah well. Nonetheless, it has been some time since I've last fought."

"SOUL!" The monster made another swipe at Vlad, who blocked it with a pink shield.

"Pathetic." The half-ghost in a fancy blue and red cape seemed to roll his eyes. This was followed by a pink ecto-blast that threw the thing against an expensive-looking mantel, shattering it. He frowned when seeing the wreck and glared at the monster. "Look what you've done!" he accused. "Five thousand dollars down the drain!"

'_Never mind that I can instantly replace it._' Vlad internally smirked, firing off successive ghost rays that pummeled the monster.

Nothing seemed to do it any damage. Some blasts even flew through the hole in its chest. Finally, completely fed up and frustrated, Vlad nailed it in the head, which seemed to be a mask. Opening a crack, the monster suddenly dissipated into dust particles, howling all the while.

Vlad folded his arms, raising an eyebrow at his handiwork. "Well, that seemed to do the trick."

His satisfaction was cut short when he heard more roaring from outside. Shooting forward to the window, Vlad looked only to see a practical army of the monstrous beings.

"Butter biscuits!" Vlad was about to run out (he couldn't have his citizens panic after all!) when he noted something odd. '_Why aren't they running and screaming for their lives like the idiots they are?_'

Amity Park's citizens were walking around casually, paying absolutely no heed to the monsters in their midst. Vlad's eyes widened when he saw a young girl walk right by one without doing anything.

The mayor of Amity Park let the curtains close, thinking heavily. '_Now this is just odd. These fools run at the sight of the Box Ghost but don't flinch at these specters?_'

Still pondering this mystery, Vlad transformed back to his human half with two black rings. It was, after all, Daniel's job to play the hero and not his own. He would not be needed.

'_Ah well._' The gray-haired man in a neatly pressed black suit sat down in a cushy armchair. He searched for Maddie, his pet cat (it wasn't his!) for a moment before settling back with a heavy book. He was fully intending on scheming out another way to make Daniel's life miserable when something interrupted him.

A loud roaring assaulted his ears, accompanied by crashing. Vlad had no time to react as a large hand grabbed him and pulled him outside. The evil half-ghost found himself staring down an enormous monster.

"Caramel tarts!" Vlad almost transformed when he noticed the various citizens gaping at him. He cancelled it instantly, not willing to risk his secret. Then he waited for the screaming to start.

Nothing happened. They continued to stare at him and only him. Vlad remembered the earlier incident and grimaced. These morons would be no help to him if they couldn't see the monsters.

Speaking of monsters, the one holding him at the moment was eyeing him in a very appreciative way that Vlad didn't like at all.

"Fudge buckets," Vlad groused, glaring at it. This was one pickle that he'd gotten himself into.

How to get out of it? He'd better think fast. The monster was starting to salivate.

Vlad was about to execute a poorly-formed plan when he was rescued in a very unorthodox way. And by somebody he absolutely _hated_.

Who was this man? Jack Fenton, of course!

* * *

"To the right, Dad!"

Jack shot into seemingly empty space next to a white-haired man with a cane. The man instantly dove to the side. The green beam hit the air and sent something crashing into the building on the side.

"You got it!" Jazz said, grinning broadly. She was wearing an outfit identical to Maddie's; in fact, it was Maddie's. It was simply an extra that Maddie had in her closet (among a dozen others).

"Great!" Jack beamed proudly. Then he frowned slightly. "But why can't I see it?"

"Now's not the time to worry about that!" Jazz was looking at a gridded screen which had various blips on it. It was this grid that told her where the ghost was for her father to shoot. "Another one's right in front of us!"

"No problem!" Jack leaned halfway out the window and shot blindly with his ecto-gun. The shot the pavement and made a hole. "Missed!"

He was about to try again when something knocked the gun right out of his hands. Wincing slightly and shaking them, he reached for the Fenton Foamer, an enormous gun with a huge muzzle. Jazz flicked open a small magnifying glass on the top that was tinted green.

"Gotcha," Jack said softly, seeing a bulky silhouette outlined in the glass. His finger pulled the trigger, nailing the ghost.

Green foam sprayed all over it, forming an outline of a gigantic body. Both Fentons gaped as the ghost slowly came into view, bringing into form a horrendous ghost with ugly teeth and piercing yellow eyes. A hollow circle lay on its chest, showing the street on the other side of the ghost.

Jazz found her voice first. "What _is_ that thing?"

"A ghost, of course!" Jack growled, glaring at it. A scream pierced the air, caused by the old man they had knocked aside earlier; Jack ignored it, keeping his gaze on the monster. "Although it's one of the ugliest I've ever seen."

'_Somehow I don't think that's a ghost,_' Jazz thought, a chill running down her spine. '_I've just got this feeling._'

She was distracted from this by an alarm from the gridded screen. The many smaller blips on it were being dwarfed by a larger.

Gunning the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle, or RV, they were in, Jazz squealed towards the ghost, barely registering Jack's protest.

"Keep the Fenton Foamer handy," Jazz ordered, barreling through the ghost with a crash. The ghost didn't stick to the windshield, instead flying into the blue sky. "There's a really big one up ahead. That gun seems to make them visible so we'll need it."

"But it doesn't injure them."

"We need visibility first."

Jazz skidded around a corner, driving into the main square of Amity Park, and screeched to a halt before the mayor's building. Their attention was caught by the figure of Mayor Vlad Masters, currently hanging in the air a good ten meters above a destroyed wall of the building.

"Vladdie!" Jack cried in alarm, jumping out of the vehicle, Fenton Foamer in hand. "Hang on, man! I'll get you down!"

Jazz grabbed an enormous ecto-gun, stepping down from her side of the RV. She may not like Vlad, but he was still Jack's friend. If it were just her, she would've left him there as thanks for all the grief he'd caused her little brother. But it wasn't just her, changing everything.

She looked up at him, noting that he hadn't seemed to notice them. Jack made no such observation; he simply fired.

Vlad wobbled in the air, half-falling until he was suspended by just one leg. Disgust crossed his face when seeing Jack; it was soon covered by an obviously fake expression of fright.

"Oh, Jack!" Vlad called, not sounding scared in the least. "Do be careful, will you?"

"No worries, Vladdie!" Jack said, aiming the Fenton Foamer directly at Vlad. "Just close your eyes!"

Vlad seemed genuinely concerned now. "Close my eyes?"

"Ready your gun, Jazz!" He didn't wait for a reply, shooting immediately.

The green foam splattered Vlad, who blinked in shock. The evil half-ghost spat out a mouthful and gave out a girlish scream upon seeing an ecto-beam heading his way.

On the ground, however, the result was very different. People were screaming, running for shelter at the sight of their mayor being held by gigantic hands. Aside from that, only the lower portion of the monster was visible.

Jazz pursed her lips at that, thinking quickly. The Fenton Foamer obviously had something to do with this. And most likely the only reason the entire ghost wasn't visible was because had shot only at two specific areas. The other ghost had been small enough for one shot; this one wasn't.

With this in mind, Jazz laid a hand on Jack's arm, catching his attention. "Put the setting to maximum. We want to be able to see it."

Jack said nothing, merely doing what his daughter said. The setting on maximum, Jack pulled the trigger, spraying the monster—and Vlad—with the sticky foam. At that moment the entire body popped into view. It wasn't that big, simply long. The ghost was stretched out over the building, two clawed feet on the ground and the forefront resting on the roof. Its face was turned to the two troublesome ghost hunters. Foam was dripping down its face and rather ruining the effect of its bared teeth.

"Shuddering spooks! It's huge!"

"Did you not notice that?" Vlad shouted, irritated. He'd managed to wipe his eyes clean. His suit, however, was unsalvageable.

"Don't worry, Vladdie!" Jack raised the Foamer. "I'll have you down in a jiffy!"

Vlad seemed alarmed now, almost clutching his jailor's hands. "Perhaps we should discuss this some more," he called anxiously.

Paying his friend no attention, Jack shot the monster in the eyes. With a loud roar, the monster dropped Vlad to claw at the foam gluing its eyes shut.

"Aaargh!" Vlad plummeted to the earth.

To Jazz, it gave her a vindictive pleasure to see her brother's half-ghost archenemy helplessly plunge to the ground. But, of course, Jack wasn't having that.

"Hang on, Vladdie!" Jack dropped the Foamer to run to his friend's aide. "I'll catch you!"

Just as Vlad reached the level of Jack's head, the Fenton dove across the ground, his arms wide open. In typical Jack Fenton style, though, he overshot his goal and Vlad landed on his back.

Both of them let out a loud "Oof!"

Then Jack grinned, something that Vlad couldn't see. "Told you I'd catch you!"

Vlad rolled his eyes disbelievingly; his gaze landed on Jazz, who was shooting the monstrous ghost down. But even the big gun wasn't having that much of an effect on it, something Jack noticed.

With a sudden motion, he sat up, obliviously throwing Vlad off his back with a thump. "We need more firepower!" he cried.

Vlad got up, brushing his suit off and trying in vain to get the foam off. His hands became green as a result. "Really? I couldn't tell," he said sarcastically, shaking his hand to get the foam off.

"We've got more in the Assault Vehicle!" Jazz said, firing her gun again.

Jack was about to get a different gun when Jazz's shot hit the monster right between the eyes. A large fissure split the mask and suddenly the entire monster evaporated, howling.

"Curious," Vlad commented, intrigued. "I wonder why—oh, sugar cookies!"

"What?" Jazz asked.

"Duck!" Vlad pushed Jazz to the ground.

Confused, Jack didn't immediately comply. His huge frame was promptly bowled over by a powerful force.

"What's going on?" Jazz demanded, lifting her head up. To her sudden alarm, she felt something graze the back of her head, accompanied by the sound of something ripping. Her head felt strangely free. Then something whacked her in the face: her hair.

Jazz felt the back of her head to find that half of her hood had been ripped off. A shiver ran through her body; only a little closer and the ghost would have drawn blood. She flipped back what remained, taking the goggles off.

Vlad raised his head as well, catching sight of Jazz. His eyes widened in surprise, something that Jazz didn't fail to note. But what shocked her was how he pushed her head down after being blinded by her orange hair and getting a mouthful of it.

In the meantime, over all, all the three could do was simply lie there as the tremendous pressure pushed down on their bodies. None of them could ignore the screams of Amity Park's citizens, which chilled them to the core.

* * *

Vlad shivered in the relative safety of the basement they were in. It was pure luck that they'd managed to find an unlocked house once being able to move. Then it had only been a matter of minutes before most of the RV's ghost detecting equipment had been moved and plugged into the few outlets the basement offered.

It was dark where they were because there was no light aside from the green glow of the computers that Jack and Jazz had plugged in. It was enough to see by, though, along with the flashlight that Jazz had on her person.

But the dark and the dire circumstances surrounding him couldn't get that horrifying image out of his mind's eye. The image of a horrifying specter that had chilled him to the bone. Yet the specter had only been an illusion. That wasn't the true monster that had forced them to the ground; in truth, he didn't know what it had been. An enormous pressure had pressed down on them after Vlad had given the initial warning to duck, preventing them from getting up or even crawling away. But it hadn't stopped him from seeing what Amity Park was now crawling with. Hundreds of those…demons were walking through the streets. And they didn't look a thing like the two he had faced earlier or seen through his windows. Some looked almost humanoid while others had the appearance of animals.

Vlad curled his hands into fists, tightly folding them across his gooey chest. His suit was a mess, as was his hair. Surprisingly, though, that didn't concern him. He couldn't figure out why neither Jack nor Jazz had seen any of those monsters. There had been _hundreds_ for goodness's sake… He wouldn't ask Jack if he knew why. Hell would freeze over before he'd ask that buffoon for anything.

He shot a glance towards Jazz, who was currently looking at father work with a dismantled gun. She looked so much like Maddie that it shocked him. In fact, he _had_ thought she was Maddie. It was why he'd pushed her down in the first place. Then, when he saw that it wasn't Maddie, he had been shocked but didn't think twice when he pushed her head out of the way of danger. But he couldn't figure out _why_. Was it the orange hair? Or maybe it was the jumpsuit…

A voice broke his reverie. "Scared?"

Although startled, Vlad's gray eyes calmly met Jazz's teal ones. He simply raised both eyebrows and, smirking confidently, answered, "Of course not."

"I'll believe that when you stop trembling," Jazz said, her hands on her hips in a manner eerily reminiscent of Maddie.

Vlad blinked once, shocked at the resemblance. "I am not scared," he denied, getting up from his seat on a crate. "I simply find it chilly here."

Jazz continued to look skeptical, annoying Vlad to no end. The half-ghost pursed his lips and looked elsewhere. His gaze landed on Jack, who had finished putting together the gun and was now connecting wires and whatnot.

He saw an ideal opportunity to change the subject. "Why don't we instead talk about what we're going to do?"

Jazz narrowed her eyes and leaned in close, whispering. "I don't feel like that at the moment. What I do want to know is why you saved me back there. You could have just left me standing and watched them take my head off."

Vlad mentally shuddered at the image it gave him. He swallowed heavily, hiding it from Jazz by raising his hand and smoothly flattening his green-white hair. "Doing that would serve me no purpose," he finally said.

"Hell it wouldn't," Jazz said bluntly. "The only people you're after are Danny and my mom. It doesn't make a difference to you whether I live or die."

Vlad found himself frowning disapprovingly at Jazz's crude language. "I wouldn't quite say that…" Now why had he said that? It would've been better to say something else.

Jazz raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then why?"

Vlad found himself quailing under her cold and penetrating eyes. This was madness! Why would he, a powerful half-ghost feared throughout the Ghost Zone, be cowering under the eyes of this young woman? It must be the aftereffects of seeing that horrible specter. Yes…that was it.

"Why?" Jazz prompted, reminding Vlad that she was still waiting for an answer.

He opened his mouth and then shut it. A quick glare from the seventeen-year-old before him made him open it again and answer. "I thought you were Maddie at first."

Jazz cocked an eyebrow. "You pushed my head down even after you saw that I wasn't."

Vlad looked helplessly at Jack, who was oblivious to the conversation going on only feet away from him. Where was that buffoon's interfering nature when you needed it?

Seeing no alternative but to answer, Vlad did so. "I honestly don't know why."

Expecting Jazz to snap at him or do something else that would be harmful to his person, Vlad did not expect her to eye him in such a way that made him feel undressed. Then, suddenly, she turned around and walked back to her father. Vlad had the odd feeling that he had just been judged and wasn't sure whether he'd passed or failed.

As he was thinking this, he felt an overbearing presence and shuddered, thinking of that menacing specter again. What was it about it that kept scaring him?

"You okay, Vladdie?" Jack had caught the shudder; Jazz looked smug. "There's nothing to be scared of in here!"

'_I can think of something to be scared of: You,_' Vlad thought dryly, remembering Jack's clumsy nature. He forced a smile and answered. "Of course." There was no use saying otherwise with Jack and claiming he was cold; the man was too dense. He instead changed the subject. "Any ideas on what to do?"

"We can't see them," Jazz said before Jack could. "It's making it harder to come up with an effective battle plan."

"So far all we've got is this." Jack held up the Fenton Foamer. "But the other's at home and one won't be enough against all those spooks."

Vlad asked a question that had been bothering him ever since he found out that Jazz wasn't his obsession. "Where is Maddie?"

A steely glint entered Jack's eyes. "She'll be just fine!"

'_That didn't answer my question at all._'

"She's at home," Jazz said, answering Vlad's question. Her features had become icy.

The look sent chills down Vlad's spine; he didn't dare to press the matter. But something had to be done about the ghosts—if they were ghosts. If Jazz wasn't able to think of anything, that left him.

"Do you mean to say that you can't see them at all?" Vlad asked after a moment's thought.

"No." Jazz's eyes narrowed. "Why? Can you?"

"Not at all!" Vlad instantly answered for Jack's benefit. He did, however, incline his head, signaling a "yes" to Jazz.

This made the young Fenton think. Half a minute passed before she pointed a finger to the corner, indicating she wanted to talk privately.

Once alone—somewhat—she started talking. "Look: I don't trust you at all. Don't expect that to change. But I admit that we need your help. You're the only one who can see these things, which isn't that strange considering your circumstances. But it's still strange that no one else can."

Vlad ignored the fact that she couldn't—wouldn't trust him. To be truthful, neither would he. "Do you have any information on these things?"

"We can detect them but they're not like usual ghosts. The Fenton Foamer makes them visible but doesn't do much else." She frowned. "To be honest, I don't think they _are_ ghosts."

Vlad privately agreed. "They disappear if you hit them in the face," he added. "I had one in my office that did so."

Jazz's eyes brightened. "So we've got a way to take them down. Now we need to see them…" She was muttering.

Vlad was thinking, too, comparing everything he knew to these monsters. Then something struck him when he remembered the Foamer.

"Perhaps these monsters don't have enough ectoplasm to manifest on the level for humans to see them," he said quietly, catching Jazz's attention. "The Fenton Foamer gives them this energy, making it so that you can see them. The ectoplasm is certainly sticky enough." He tugged at some on his sleeve to prove his point.

"But isn't the Ghost Zone made of ectoplasm? They can get it there."

"I assure you that on all my visits to that place, never have I seen ghosts like that. They are abnormal. To be truthful with you, I have to agree with you that they aren't ghosts."

"No kidding. I already told you that."

Vlad ignored her insolence. "Quite obviously we can't use the Foamer on every single one so that you see them. But maybe there's an alternative. We could give you…'ghosts' eyes' so to speak."

Jazz looked alarmed.

"Oh, come off it," Vlad said, annoyed. "I'm not going to fry your eyes or do anything else out of the ordinary. Just…just give me those goggles of yours and go distract your…father." "Buffoon" wouldn't do here…

Slightly relieved, Jazz handed him the goggles and went to occupy Jack, blocking his view of Vlad.

Alone now, Vlad turned his back and crouched, shielding the goggles from prying eyes. Eyes narrowed in concentration, Vlad went to work.

Still keeping Jack's view of Vlad blocked, Jazz quietly asked a question. "What are we going to do about Mom, Dad? The Mansons and Foleys aren't exactly good fighters."

"All in a matter of time!" Jack said, keeping his voice at a normal level. "We'll be back in no time at all."

Jazz shot a worried look in Vlad's corner, wondering what he was up to. She could only see a faint pink glow. She didn't trust his motives but she knew that he was as smart as—if not smarter—than her mother. Conniving as he was, she had to give him that much.

Besides, she knew that he wasn't _all_ that bad. Her earlier interrogation had proved that much. Vlad honestly didn't know—or didn't want to admit—why he really did save Jazz after realizing she wasn't her mother. She had an inkling as to why that was.

"I'm sure that those blasted ghosts have something to do with Danny being missing," Jack was saying, catching Jazz's attention. "I'll get the story out of them if it's the last thing I do!"

Jazz remained silent, although she was thinking over that. To be honest, that certainly was a possibility. It was the only one left as far as she was concerned.

"Ah-ha!" A triumphant cry startled both of them; they whirled to see Vlad proudly holding up Jazz's goggles, which were glowing pink. "Done it!"

"Done what?" Jack lowered the muzzle of his gun, which he had raised threateningly.

"These goggles can now see those ghosts!"

Jazz thought that he sounded like an excited little kid with some new discovery.

"Really?" Jack peered at the lenses. "You just look pink."

Vlad's smile faltered; he looked at Jazz instead, raising an eyebrow challengingly. "Try them," he invited.

Jazz stared suspiciously at the glowing pink but took them in hand. She took off her hair band, tied her hair back, and then put the goggles on. With two full-grown adults staring at her expectantly, she felt extremely foolish.

"Go outside," Vlad prompted as if it were the most obvious thing.

"I'll just poke my head out," Jazz said, going for the stairs. "Be right back."

She was not eager to do anything of the sort but for her mother's and brother's sake she would do so.

'_I hope he did whatever he did properly._' Sweat slid down her temple as she cautiously sidled around a corner. She abruptly stopped upon reaching the living room and immediately scampered back to safety, nearly hyperventilating. '_Oh my God! Those are ghosts? They don't look anything like ghosts!_' She remembered her earlier feeling and Vlad's claim. '_I guess they aren't ghosts after all…_'

She trembled, recalling their bony bodies, terrible claws, and hideous faces. '_Are they all like that? This…this is insane!_' She began to crawl back to the basement door, not trusting her legs. '_But these goggles actually work. I better let them know before those things get down to the basement or notice me._'

Her heart in her mouth the entire time, Jazz managed to make it to the basement safely.

"They work!" she announced, pushing the goggles up. "I almost ran into two in the living room."

"Excellent news!" Vlad said, grinning wickedly. "Now, Jack, your goggles, please."

Bemused but eager, Jack gave them to Vlad. Jazz shot the half-ghost a glare, warning him to not try anything funny. The man simply smiled angelically, grabbed a mini ecto-gun, and aimed a pink ray at the lenses. While Jack stared in wonder, Jazz stiffened slightly, waiting for an imminent explosion.

It never came.

Vlad handed the glowing goggles to Jack, smirking at Jazz. The older Fenton eagerly tried them on, giving Vlad the opportunity to whisper into Jazz's ear.

"Silly girl. Destroying Jack now would only hinder me. I need all hands available to beat these monsters. Do try to use your brain." Still smirking, Vlad continued. "And I do wonder about that brother of yours. Did he tire of fighting ghosts all the time and run away?"

Jazz snapped her head around, glaring at Vlad. How did he know about that? And the man was still smirking so infuriatingly! He turned his head towards Jack, showing Jazz how he had found out about her brother's disappearance. Obviously Jack had told Vlad everything he knew about Danny's disappearance, and Vlad had seen right through the lies Jazz had fed him.

Smirking, Vlad took a step away from Jazz, letting her stew in silence. The silence didn't last long, as Jack exclaimed in excitement. "Time to move out!"

"Eh?" That was Jazz.

"I beg your pardon?" Vlad, of course.

"No time like the present I always say!" Jack declared, looking strange with goggles on his face.

"You have your weapons?"

"This is yours!" Jack threw a big ecto-gun at Vlad. "The magnifier on that baby will let you see those ghosts since you don't have goggles."

"I see." Vlad had nearly dropped the gun but was now holding it up easily, albeit uncomfortably. "And what exactly is the plan?"

"Charge in guns a-blazing!"

'_That's not a plan,_' both Jazz and Vlad thought simultaneously, nervously eyeing the man with an enormous Fenton Foamer in hand.

"Is the Foamer necessary now, Dad?" Jazz asked. "We can see them."

"Better to avoid splattering anybody else with that irremovable foam," Vlad said, indicating his ruined suit and green hair.

"I am sorry about that, you know," Jack added, frowning apologetically. He examined Vlad, his goggles lifted up. "You should wear green more often."

Vlad was speechless, not having anything witty to say to that. Daniel most surely would but he wasn't Daniel.

Jazz rescued him from the awkwardness of the moment. "So it's settled then?"

"It's settled!" Jack declared, snapping his goggles back in place. "Ow!"

Recovering quickly, Jack stuck his hand in the middle of their triangle. "All together now! We're going to do this!"

Jazz put her hand on his, looking shortly at Vlad. Would he agree to fight? He was the kind to sit on the sidelines and let others do his dirty work. Her eyes widened slightly when he put his hand on top of her smaller one. She shook her head just the tiniest bit. Of course. He couldn't let Jack think otherwise of his "friend".

"To victory!"

* * *

In a world of night, where there was no grass or trees but just sand, was an enormous fortress. This fortress was visible only because of the light of a crescent moon.

This fortress was of an unimaginable size, holding hundreds of empty corridors and a building that stimulated the human world of light. This dome of light hosted other buildings which the residents of the fortress inhabited. Aside from these buildings was a main one where they all conferred; a cellar lay in this building, too, which ran underneath everything.

But the building we will now focus on is the main building. This building has a room with monitors, a dining hall, empty corridors, and an enormous cavern of a room where everything occurs. This room is dark, with only moonlight offering sight.

The moonlight lands on three figures each dressed in a long white coat. One is dark-skinned with long dark brown hair tied back in a braid. He wears glasses which shield sightless eyes. The second has silvery hair and a twisted smirk constantly twisting his face. His eyes remain closed, leaving their color a mystery. The third, however, is the most sinister. His brown eyes contain untold malice and his hair is swept back as if gelled. His face is sharply defined by cheekbones and a nose, although it is cruelly handsome.

The first two figures are standing at the foot of steps leading up to a stone throne. In this throne sits the third, an evil smile adorning his face that is small enough to go unnoticed.

They seem to be waiting for something…

The third man speaks. "You have been standing there for a while. Why don't you come out?"

A tall white figure appears suddenly in the shadows, as if it had been invisible. There is a blue halo around where its head should be and an eerie glow surrounds it.

"And here I thought nobody had noticed me," a cold feminine voice said. "It seems your skills are sharper than I expected."

"There is a reason you are here other than to observe our skills," the man commented.

"Sharply noted, Aizen Sousuke," the figure complimented. "I am here on orders from my master. He has a proposition for you."

Aizen, the number one enemy of Soul Society, leaned on his hand, the elbow on the armrest of the throne. "I am sorry to say that I don't make deals with those who remain hidden."

"How rude of me. Do forgive my behavior." The woman stepped fully out of the shadows, her appearance startling the two who could see.

The silvery-haired man shifted. Aizen simply narrowed his eyes.

"Surprised?"

"I have to admit that I'm curious," Aizen said, leaning forward. "What are you?" This was said impassively, without the slightest hint of curiosity.

The woman was illuminated by the light of the moon, revealing strange features. The body was that of a human clothed in white, similar to a woman's dress in ancient Greece, although the feet were claws akin to a hollow's. The hands were pure white, the fingers tapering to a point and the nails deadly sharp. But the face was the oddest…and eerie.

There was clear evidence of a hollow mask, although it was shattered. The right eye was a startling green; the left yellow with a greenish tint. The left side of the face was half-covered with the shattered mask, which partly covered the chin, thinly stretched over the temple and ended at the forehead like a set of fingers. Spikes jutted out from the mask and also from fragments at the hairline. The entire thing was green.

The face was feminine, although harshly so, and snow white. Fangs slipped over light blue lips, which were curved into a smug smile. Her hair, which could be seen through the mask, was a fiery blue, cutting off at the neckline to be regular blonde hair.

"Your curiosity will be satisfied soon," she answered. "Now that you have seen me, are you interested in my master's proposal?"

"Your name." It was a demand, not a request.

"Chikara," she replied, raising a delicate black brow. The other was hidden by the mask.

"The man at my left is Ichimaru Gin," Aizen said, settling back. "The man on my right is Tousen Kaname." He smiled coldly. "Let your master know that I don't take kindly to anonymous specters."

"My master's name is Hakaisha Tasekai."

This time Kaname reacted as well, turning his head in Chikara's direction. Aizen's smile simply widened.

"I'm listening."

Chikara's lips curled into a malicious smile. "He is interested in your world. You could call him a collector of rare things. This world, with its shinigamis, hollows, and mortals, has interested him. He knows of your quest to become king, and wishes to lend his services."

"Tell the truth," Kaname said sharply. "You lie."

For some reason, this only made Chikara's eyes gleam. "Of course. My master wishes to have power and control over your world and one other. This other world is the home of ghosts and mortals. It is also host to three unique half-ghosts."

"Half-ghosts?" Aizen seemed properly intrigued now.

"Explanations will come once you meet with my master," Chikara promised.

"How do you know that I am even interested in this Hakaisha Tasekai's offer?"

"Oh…you are." Chikara smirked slyly. "Don't worry. You have time to make your decision. And if you choose not to accept, it is of no consequence. It is merely an offer of aid, nothing more." She bowed slightly, moving back into the shadows. "I look forward to hearing your answer in two days' time."

Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished, leaving silence in her wake.

"Should we trust her?" Kaname asked. "She lied once before."

"Her proposal is interesting," Aizen said. "It merits thought. But refusing will not be as quiet as she claims."

"Wasn't that code speak for 'My master will hunt you down if you refuse'?" Gin scratched his head.

"Indeed." Aizen blinked slowly, his eyes piercing. "What to do…"

* * *

**It is the first time I have ever written Vlad. I hope I kept him in character. The master's name has finally been revealed (the meaning will come later) and one of his most important minions has also been introduced. Regarding her name, I have to thank _RunLyllithRun _for supplying it. Thanks a bunch! :)**

**Clockwork's scene is of importance. Keep it in mind as you keep reading.  
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**If you see any mistakes in this chapter or have advice in general, please drop a review! I always enjoy hearing your thoughts. Review please!**


	21. A Terrible Mess

**This chapter turned out to be huge. But in any case, it did meet my expectations. In this opening scene, though, the characters ran away with me. Can't say I'm unhappy with it, though...**

**Let me know if you see any mistakes in this chapter, okay? Thanks! Also, PLEASE REVIEW!  
**

**Thanks to _SpartanCommander, SamManson14, Azelf1717, Hyperpegasi, Cold-Heart-Angel23, Preemptive Karma, Piece of Toast, stick fight3, Ryoko the demon fox, weslderf222, Bored2Deth_, and _K.N._ for reviewing the last chapter!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach _nor _D_****_anny Phantom_.**

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**Chapter 21: A Terrible Mess**

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It was agonizing for them to wait. Never before did they have to do something like this. Even if the reasoning made sense they hated it. They hated knowing that in the big picture they were useless.

Useless to Danny, useless to everybody.

Sam chewed her lip anxiously, tugging the sleeve of her new shirt. It was long-sleeved, black, and had a grinning skull on the front with fiery red eyes. She wore a dark purple skirt that went down to her knees. Fishnet stockings covered the rest of her legs; on her feet were black sneakers, starkly contrasting the rest of her outfit because of their ordinariness.

Her face was without eyeliner or lipstick as she'd taken a shower while waiting. She glanced at Tucker, who looked just as anxious as she felt, even going so far as to chew on his fingernails.

His red beret was gone, replaced by a black and dark green cap worn backwards. His long-sleeved dark green shirt was covered by a beige vest that flattered his figure and had pockets for his gizmos. He wore loose-fitting dark blue jeans and his outfit was topped off by a pair of cool-looking dark green and black sneakers.

The two were sitting outside Urahara's shop, accompanied only by Skulker as they waited for Danny. It was almost completely dark as the day was almost spent.

Tucker sighed, shifting his position. Sam barely stopped herself from snapping. It had already been the fifth time he'd done so and it was grating on her nerves.

'_We're both anxious,_' she reminded herself. '_Be nice._'

No sooner had she thought this did Tucker speak. "I'm scared."

Sam was surprised. It sounded so strange coming out of Tucker's mouth, especially in such a tone. He had sounded like a lost child wishing for home.

"What if he doesn't come back?"

That stung.

"He will," Sam said harshly. "He always has before."

"Maybe we should reconsider this."

Sam sprung up. "What's there to consider? We _know_ that Danny will come back!"

"No," Tucker said wearily. "We don't."

Sam visibly deflated, the fight going out of her. "He has to," she whispered, looking away.

Tucker got up, shot a look at Skulker, who was gazing elsewhere, and comfortingly put his arms around Sam. While he knew that Sam normally would never accept such comfort, he also knew that Sam was beyond stressed out with everything going on. She needed the hug.

Sam rested her head on Tucker's shoulder, suddenly exhausted. "He has to come back. He has to…"

"He will," Tucker comforted, going against his earlier words. Sam needed this, however false it probably was. He believed in Danny, but he knew that there was a time to stop hoping.

"You think so?"

"Sure. He won't rest 'til he's back. You know him." Tucker drew back, letting Sam see his smile. This at least was true.

She smiled back, still not seeming entirely comforted.

Skulker cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable. Why couldn't that dratted whelp just get back already?

A sudden noise followed by another distracted all of them. Sam and Tucker stepped forward to see what had caused it. They didn't immediately.

"Yo," a tired and very welcome voice said. "How you guys doing? You look even worse than I do, and that's saying something."

Danny Fenton, smiling tiredly, stood next to a knocked over trash can – which had been the cause of the disturbance. His clothes seemed rather ragged. He gave a small wave to his shell-shocked friends.

Sam was overjoyed. "Danny!" She sprinted to him, knocking him over with an enthusiastic hug. Then, she kissed him right there, shocking everybody present including the boy getting kissed.

After what seemed like an eternity she drew back, letting Danny sit up on his elbows. "You idiot. You had us all really worried."

Danny seemed slightly dazed. "Sorry?"

"I don't think that was a fake-out make-out," Tucker whispered to Skulker.

The hunter said nothing. This wasn't really his business.

Sam was half-straddling Danny and she recognized the awkwardness of the moment. Pink tingeing her cheeks, she scrambled off him, extremely embarrassed now.

Danny got up, too. "Was that the real thing?" he asked.

Sam avoided his blue eyes. "The real thing?"

"You know what I mean." Danny turned her face so that he could look at her. "If it was, then…well…"

Sam waited nervously.

Danny suddenly kissed her, causing Tucker's and Skulker's jaws to drop. Skulker's actually hit the ground, causing a loud clanging noise.

Danny drew back a second later. "I've been wanting to do that for a while," he admitted.

Sam smiled, for once not caring that she was feeling like a giddy teenager and not at all like a Goth. "Then why didn't you?"

Danny caught sight of Tucker then. "Later," he promised her. "When we're alone."

Sam was suddenly struck by how mature he seemed to be. He hadn't been this mature before, had he? This thought subconsciously made her lag behind as Danny greeted Tucker, casually ignoring Skulker after only a surprised glance at the hunter (he had been screwing his jaw back on, scowling ferociously). She watched his behavior, trying to see if her hunch was true.

'_He's…acting older._' Sam could see a certain rigidness in Danny's stance. '_Or is he warier? I really can't tell._'

"Dude, I am really glad to see you in one piece," Tucker said happily, slapping Danny on the shoulder.

"Same here. Minus the fact that it's me." Danny grinned; then he acknowledged Skulker by nodding at him. "Can't say I'm surprised to see you."

"Why not?" Skulker asked, astounded. His jaw was back on properly.

"I saw you when I got here. Besides, I expected we'd run into each other eventually. Ichigo told me that you were hunting him."

"Hmph." Skulker crossed his arms. "I only hunt the rarest of prizes. You and the orange child are in that category."

Danny chose to ignore that, although he made a mental note to tease Ichigo about his new nickname (they were on good enough terms for that, right?). He faced his friends, careful to keep Skulker in eyesight. "But I'm still wondering what you guys are doing here. I thought you'd be at the apartment."

"We were worried," Sam simply said.

Danny frowned. "But why wait here? Doesn't it make more sense to wait somewhere I'm familiar with?"

Sam, Tucker, and Skulker shared glances, confusing Danny further. Since when had the three been in cahoots?

"You should come inside," Tucker finally said. "You'll understand better then."

With a strange sense of foreboding, Danny followed his friends into a lighted house—only to find that it was a shop/house. And inside this house were Uryuu, Orihime, Chad, and a strange guy with a huge dark green hat with white stripes and weird shoes. They all started slightly upon seeing Danny.

"What's going on?" Danny asked uncomfortably, feeling something strange in the air. "Who're you?" This was addressed to the strange man.

"Urahara Kisuke," the man said, tilting his head forward. His hand was on his hat, which Danny found weird. "You must be Danny-san."

Confused, Danny shot his friends a look. How did he know his real name?

"I am pleased to see that you have returned safely from Soul Society," Urahara continued.

Danny warily took a step back, only to sense his friends standing there. Feeling cornered and his every nerve on edge, he felt horribly vulnerable. Then he remembered Ichigo's friends and relaxed his stance slightly. If they were here and knew of Ichigo, chances were that this Urahara did, too.

"There's no need to panic," Urahara assured him, having seen Danny's rigid stance. "Your friends have told me everything."

Danny shot them a look, knowing that "everything" could have several different meanings when it came to him. "Everything?"

Tucker gave him a shrug. "Things were getting kind of out of hand. Besides, this guy isn't exactly on their side."

"Good." Danny exhaled gustily. "'Cause Soul Society is a pain in the neck."

Uryuu gave a half-grin. "They are, aren't they." It was not a question but a confirmation.

"Especially when it comes to people like you," Uryuu continued, not seeing Danny stiffen. "After all, Kurotsuchi especially is—"

"What do you mean by people like me?" Danny asked warily, cutting Uryuu off.

Sam laid a steady and reassuring hand on his shoulder. "They know, Danny."

"Know what?" He seemed to be in denial.

"We know of your unique status," Urahara said, fanning himself with a fan. "And it was quite a surprise, I tell you."

"Even them?" Danny pointed to Ichigo's friends.

Sam, Tucker, and even Skulker nodded.

Biting his lip, Danny nervously considered his options. His friends obviously trusted them and he knew Sam had good taste (except for Gregor/Elliot). It meant that he should be able to trust them, too, right?

Danny closed his eyes in frustration. '_Why can't I seem to think clearly?_'

Urahara noticed the teenager's frustration and unusually pale face. "You must be tired, Danny-san."

At this Danny's head jerked up.

"In fact, why don't we call it a day?" Urahara beamed broadly. "It simply isn't complete without Kurosaki-san."

The trio from Amity Park started.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. '_Isn't Ichigo a shinigami and somebody we can't trust? Even if these are his friends?_' She suddenly felt unsure but didn't voice her concern. Danny had been stressed enough without needing to hear her worries. She didn't think there was anything to be concerned about anyway. At the moment at least…

"Absolutely. We have several sleeping bags you can borrow." Urahara seemed blind to Sam's silent fretting, even though he had been unusually observant earlier.

"Not necessary," Danny said, surprising his friends. "We have a place to stay."

"That may be true," Urahara said, "but with Soul Society aware of all of you it just isn't safe."

"I can take care of us," Danny insisted.

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "I have no doubt that you can. But ask yourself this: How well can you fight with your friends there?"

Danny clenched his jaw for a moment, thinking it over. His first reaction had been to say "I can fight just fine!" but another voice inside him had told him to wait for a moment and think. Wasn't Soul Society ruthless when it came to certain things (namely him)? They wouldn't care if his friends were there and would maybe even put them in danger, something that would put him in danger, too, because he'd try to protect them. So he really couldn't fight too well with them after all.

A certain tension filled the air as they waited for his response. Finally, he nodded curtly.

"All right. Sam and Tucker seem to trust you so…I guess I can give you a chance."

Urahara grinned broadly. "Excellent! I'll call Tessai and arrange the room."

This time Sam and Tucker protested, too. "Oh no… That's really not necessary…"

"I would," Uryuu cut in.

"Why?" Sam asked.

Tessai popped his head in the room, startling everybody who wasn't Japanese. Skulker's arm fell off this time. "Someone mention me?"

Uryuu came over to whisper in the trio's vicinity. "He gets overemotional easily if he can't do what he wants to do."

Danny stared at the huge man with the bushy moustache. '_That guy gets overemotional? Wow._'

* * *

"What the hell? I come back from an extended mission and _this_ is the sight that greets me?" Kuchiki Rukia had her arms crossed and was staring in disbelief at the enormous floating castle hanging above the Seireitei. "Soul Society must have been up to some mischief."

The dark-haired shinigami shook her head in amazement. "I wonder which taichou it was now…"

With that said, Rukia disappeared from the tree she'd been on. She finally stopped before the entrance to the Seireitei, surprised to find more shinigamis than usual there.

"Your name, please!" a burly shinigami barked at her.

Confused, Rukia complied. "Kuchiki Rukia."

"Very well." The man stuck his hand out. "And now the documents verifying that you are indeed Kuchiki Rukia of the noble Kuchiki house.

'_What is it with this guy?_' Rukia did not immediately obey. "Documents? May I ask why? I understand that it's for identification but we have never needed this. Why now?"

The man looked around for a moment for a quick moment before leaning in to whisper, "There was an invasion of green zombies."

'_Eh?_' Rukia's jaw dropped.

"You'll learn more inside." The man drew back to once again demand, "Documents!"

Rukia acquiesced, still shocked. '_Green zombies? Has this guy had too much sake or something?_'

Five minutes later, Rukia was beyond the gates and staring at the mess that lay before her. Everything had been smashed, shattered, cut in half, or simply broken. And there was nothing but shade; Rukia knew the cause without even having to look: the floating castle.

Still amazed and shocked, Rukia left for headquarters to find some answers.

* * *

"You didn't see a single ghost fly by?" Soifon demanded.

"Nope," Ichigo lied, his face bored.

"Not even one stick out his head?"

"Nope." Ichigo popped the "p".

"And you're sure about that?"

"Yep." Ichigo folded his arms. "Can I go now? This is getting repetitive."

Soifon narrowed her eyes, glaring coldly at the orange-haired shinigami. Ichigo didn't blink, meeting her glare head-on. Finally Soifon sighed, frustrated.

"All right." She addressed the next bit to the Covert Ops. "You're free to take him back. But keep your eyes on him."

She poked a finger in Ichigo's chest. "And you better keep your nose out of trouble…or you'll get to taste my blade. Understood?" The smirk she'd had on throughout that little speech remained even after she turned and left.

Only then did a small shiver run through Ichigo's frame. It wasn't enough for the clueless Covert Ops to notice.

"Okay then." Saburou placed a firm hand on Ichigo's upper bicep (the shinigami was too tall). "You're coming back with us now."

Ichigo rolled his eyes, irritated. "Yeah, yeah. Do you mean to say that you're actually going to stay in the human world with me? I'm touched that you'd want to stay with me that long."

"We're _depositing_ you there, not staying," Yoshirou said sharply.

"Just getting the facts straight."

Ichigo had just turned when a familiar voice stopped them. "Ichigo!"

"Rukia?" He was surprised to see her up on a roof, the castle starkly outlined against her dark head. "What are you doing here?"

"That's what I could ask you," Rukia responded. "I live here. You don't."

"Right." Ichigo felt embarrassed.

"What are you doing with them?" Rukia asked.

"They're escorting me back. As if I don't know the way…"

"You don't know how to open it."

She hopped down, brushing by Ichigo as she walked by. "We need to talk." Each of the Covert Ops was treated to her special cold stare. "That's no problem, right?"

"No problem at all!" Saburou instantly said. "We'll give you some privacy."

Without another word they vanished, leaving them alone.

"Now what?" Ichigo folded his arms.

"Now you're going to explain to me what the hell is going on."

"You couldn't ask them yourself?"

A second later and Ichigo was being treated to a violent noogie by Rukia. "Ow, ow! Okay, I'll tell you! Just knock it off!"

Ten minutes later and with many irritating questions, Ichigo had finally finished his tale, even including the part where he'd helped the Box Ghost (although that had been whispered).

After a long silence, Rukia finally spoke. "You do know that as a shinigami I have to report this?"

Ichigo looked alarmed. "Hunh?"

Rukia continued, "But because of our friendship, I'll keep quiet about it."

She stared steadfastly at Ichigo, who didn't know whether to be grateful or horrified. His expression was a mixture between the two.

"Were you joking?" Ichigo managed to ask. "Because that wasn't funny."

Rukia's expression didn't change. "What do you think?"

Another lengthy silence followed between the two.

Ichigo broke it again, laughing nervously. "Ha ha… That was a good one, Rukia. Very good one… You almost had me fooled for a second."

Rukia yanked his collar, bringing his ear closer to her mouth. "I'm dead serious now, Ichigo. Danny and his friends aren't safe. Soul Society is going to go after them without wasting much time."

"You think I don't know that?" Ichigo whispered.

"Shush!" Rukia gave his ear a painful tug, earning an "Ow!" as she did so. "You know how to proceed from here, Ichigo. Use that head of yours." She started walking off.

Ichigo rubbed his ear, staring after her. "Anything else?"

Rukia's gray eye met his as she half-turned. "Don't associate yourself with them in visibility. That will make you a target." Her back faced him again. "I'll see you, Ichigo. Have a safe trip."

The Covert Ops rejoined Ichigo upon her disappearance.

"Man… She's hot," Jurou commented, earning himself a vicious glare from Ichigo.

"Don't let Byakuya hear you say that," Ichigo said, completely serious.

Jurou noticeably gulped.

Ichigo grinned wickedly, hiding his face from Jurou. '_Gotcha._'

* * *

"Aaagh—oof!" Ichigo landed roughly on the ground, raising a semi-impressive dust cloud. He lifted his face up, which was a bright red. "Ow."

Grumbling about his horrible misfortune and stupid spirits, Ichigo got to his feet, brushing his clothes off and rubbing his face. Still grumbling, Ichigo tromped off to his home, hoping to find his body there and hopefully not desecrated by Kon.

He found it lying on his bed with Kon on the chest. After a short yelling match between the two that ended with Kon badly imitating Ichigo's voice so that no suspicion would be aroused, the substitute shinigami entered his body and again left the room, intending on heading to Urahara.

His hyper father ("Ichigoooo!") and worried younger sister ("Are you feeling all right?") detained him but only for a moment. And then he was there in front of lighted windows and muted voices.

'_To knock or not to knock?_' Ichigo debated shortly. '_Ah, what the hell… I'll just walk in._'

Without another thought, Ichigo pushed the door open and stepped in, a bell announcing his arrival. He caught the attention of his friends and Urahara. Three people he had subconsciously been hoping to see were not there.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara beamed in welcome. "So glad you could join us! We were just talking about you."

"Hunh," was all Ichigo had to say. He sat down at the table next to Orihime, who blushed in pleasure. Ichigo didn't notice.

"How did it go?" Chad asked.

"Bad," Ichigo answered. "They wanted to keep D-Fantomu there for keeps." He'd almost slipped. He knew he could trust his friends but still… Telling them Danny's half-ghost secret felt almost like a violation. It wasn't his place to tell.

"We know, Kurosaki," Uryuu said, surprising him. "Danny's friends told us everything after Urahara-san found out."

"Are they here?"

"Resting," Urahara said. "Danny-san arrived about an hour ago. From what I could tell, he looked exhausted."

"So he did make it," Ichigo said, relieved. "I was worried."

"It sounds like you've got a story to tell," Urahara said.

"I do."

"Can it wait until tomorrow?"

This surprised Ichigo. "Why?"

"Danny-san will also speak then," Urahara simply said.

"He looked scared," Orihime said softly.

"That's not surprising," Ichigo said grimly. "Soul Society wasn't nice to him."

"They never are nice," Uryuu muttered.

"Would you like to spend the night here?" Urahara asked the four friends.

Ichigo shook his head. "No. I'd best be leaving. My family's already worried."

"Same here," the other three said.

"We'll meet at eight tomorrow?"

There was a chorus of nods and then they left.

None of them knew of a restless half-ghost that most certainly wasn't getting any rest. And it didn't look he was going to anytime soon.

* * *

Danny opened his eyes from his most recent bout of fitful sleeping; his eyes landed on the wooden wall. As his brain pulled out from wherever it had been he could hear quiet murmurs, signaling that his friends were up. He gave no indication that he was awake.

To be truthful, he wasn't trying to eavesdrop, yet he still heard what they were discussing. And it was about him.

"He was tossing and turning all night." That was Sam. "I don't think he slept at all."

"He's been through a lot. You can't expect him to shrug it off immediately."

"I hope he talks about it. It makes me so worried when he keeps things bottled up."

"You're sounding like Jazz."

"With good reason. You can't honestly say that you're not concerned."

"Well…no. I am worried about him. He was acting really skittish last night. Makes me wonder what happened."

"If they did anything bad to him I'll swear I'll hunt them all down and make them beg for mercy…"

Danny stifled a smile. That sure sounded like the girl he liked. (He wasn't going to deny it anymore.)

"I don't doubt that."

He remembered the kiss from last night. It had really shocked him. '_I guess that means she likes me, too._'

"So what was the deal with the kiss?"

Danny chose that moment to roll over, saving Sam from having to answer. "Morning," he said quietly, not giving any sign that he'd heard them talking.

Sam and Tucker shared a quick glance.

"Morning," Sam said. "Did you sleep well?"

Danny's first instinct was to lie. Then he remembered how worried she'd sounded and he changed his mind. "No. My mind wouldn't stop racing. What about you guys?"

As a result of having been up for a long time, Danny knew that they both hadn't slept well but merely pretended to in order to give him privacy and a comfortable illusion. It hadn't worked since he could hear them breathing.

"Not very well either," Tucker answered truthfully. "We heard you moving."

"I see," Danny said simply. He sat up and ruffled his hair, trying to get it in order. He wasn't sure if he succeeded, though.

"Here." Sam handed him a comb. "Urahara gave it to us."

"Thanks." Danny took it, his fingers brushing hers. It sent tingles up his spine.

Sam met his eyes. "No problem."

Aware that they weren't alone, Danny looked away to begin combing his hair. He tried to make conversation. "What's the deal with the new clothes?"

"That's a part of something that we'll be talking about," Tucker said, adjusting his new hat. "Do you like them?"

"They're definitely cool." Danny jerked the comb through a huge clump of hair with a soft "Ow!"

Several minutes passed comfortably as Danny finished combing his hair and Sam and Tucker pulled their socks on.

A knock sounded at the door just as Danny put the comb away. "We're at the table, Danny-san."

Danny shot his friends a confused look. Why address him? Wasn't he more familiar with Sam and Tucker?

Tucker shrugged, unable to answer.

"I think he likes you," Sam whispered.

"You mean he's gay?"

"No, sorry. I meant that he seems fond of you. I have no clue why."

"Oh, okay." Danny sighed in relief. "The last thing I need is a gay guy running after me."

Tucker snickered at the image it put into his head. That would be something interesting to see, no doubt about that.

Sam merely gave a sheepish smile at her mix-up. A moment later she put out a hand as Danny reached for his shoes.

"They don't wear shoes here when in the house," she explained, answering Danny's questioning look. "Your socks are enough."

He nodded, pulled on his white (and stinky) socks, and picked up his shoes, getting up from his mattress. His back felt stiff, reminding him of his little incident with the ground yesterday when he'd come back.

'_Do I have to tell them about that little detail?_' He caught Sam's worried look. '_I guess I should._'

They were seated around the table a minute later, dead silent. None of them were very comfortable (Urahara was but let's face it: he's weird).

"Does anyone want anything while we all wait for Kurosaki-san?" Urahara asked brightly.

"Ichigo?" Sam started suspiciously, acting on her unspoken thoughts of last night. "Isn't he…one of _them_?" She looked at Danny, who didn't seem surprised. "Danny?"

"It's all right." He smiled at her. "He helped me out as much as he could."

"That's Kurosaki-kun all right!" Orihime said proudly. "He always tries to help."

"You don't seem surprised that he's back," Uryuu observed.

"I overheard you guys talking last night," Danny said shamelessly. "I couldn't sleep."

"Your face is the same pale color," Chad said. "You look normal."

"I normally don't get much sleep anyway. Too many ghosts."

"That would explain your height," Uryuu said.

"I'm well aware that I'm smaller than average," Danny said, stung. "But not everybody's six feet three. Or seven feet," he modified when seeing Chad.

"To be entirely accurate," a new voice cut in, "I'm five feet nine."

Ichigo walked in and sat down between Uryuu and Orihime. "Did I miss anything?"

"You're late," was all Sam said. "It's 8:15."

"My dad's insane," Ichigo said for an explanation.

"So's mine. You just don't see me arrive late for meetings," Danny said. His ghost sense went off then, startling everybody in the room aside from his friends.

"The ghosts take care of that," Tucker said, smirking, looking at the disappearing whiff of blue mist.

Skulker popped through the ceiling then, having disappeared sometime during the night. "And with pleasure. It is always entertaining to see him being chased."

"Aren't I the one normally chasing you?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" Skulker replied with dignity. "The hunter is never chased! It is _I_ who chases my prey!"

"That's your ghost sense, right?" Ichigo asked Danny.

"I think I've told you that before," Danny said.

"So you can sense ghosts?" Uryuu inquired curiously.

"It's a useful sense," Danny responded. "But we're not here to talk about that." He paused. "Or are we? If you don't mind, I'd rather not be dissected."

"We won't dissect you," Urahara assured him. "In fact, we are here mainly to hear what has happened in Soul Society."

"We were really worried, Danny," Sam said softly, placing a hand on Danny's.

"I know. And I'm sorry," he apologized. "I wanted to get in touch with you guys. I really did. But Hitsugaya has a mean dragon and there was absolutely no chance to do so."

"You pronounced his name correctly!" Ichigo said, surprised.

Danny smiled wearily. "I'm a bit too worn out for clever quips at the moment. But I'll just get started with what happened in Soul Society when I left here."

"I'm curious to hear how you escaped from the Senzaikyuu," Ichigo said.

"He _what_?!" his friends exclaimed.

"Just wait," Danny said patiently, not sure why they were so surprised. "I'll explain it."

"That's supposed to be impossible," Uryuu murmured.

"Danny can do the impossible," Sam said, smiling slyly.

"You have no idea," Skulker muttered, polishing his arm plate.

Danny took a deep breath. "So here we go…"

* * *

**Right after the ghosts were escorted out of the room…**

The ghosts hadn't said much while being led away. What they did do was shoot Danny a lot of resentful looks.

Although he could feel them boring holes into his body, Danny was feeling too sick to do much more other than stare straight ahead. This just made them glare harder—Walker in particular.

'_This is bad. This is really bad. They know who I am._' Danny kept his eyes on the black-suited man in front of him, this mantra repeating in his head. He was starting to feel numb now.

Even when they began crossing a flimsy looking red bridge high up in the air he didn't snap out of his self-induced trance. A few ghosts had considered making a break for it right then due to the fact that it was open and that Danny seemed to be ignoring them. They were soon proven wrong when Danny's green eyes snapped to them, stopping them in their tracks.

Somehow, he had sensed their intentions. Or he had just predicted their next move; it was one that he had been considering himself. It was a good thing that his formidable reputation had stopped them from escaping.

His eyes returned back to the front and the white tower that they were approaching.

The doors were open by the time they reached it and they floated/walked right in. No one spoke as they were locked in the gloomy tower. Everything and everyone seemed fixated on Danny.

That was when he fully realized what kind of a mess he was in. "Oh God. They know who I am."

This seemed to stun the ghosts around him. None of them made a move as Danny made his way over to the spiraling staircase attached to the wall and going up. He sat down heavily on the bottom step, his eyes staring blankly ahead. He then put his head in the palm of his right hand, the position feeling oddly familiar to him.

"Is he all right?" he heard a ghost mutter.

'_Why do they care?_' Danny was still too numb to give much thought to that strange comment. "They know who I am," he repeated hollowly, his hand sliding down to cover his mouth. This freed his sight and he saw the frightening image of the Fright Knight right in front of his very nose. "Agh!" He flinched back.

"Why are you concerning yourself with them knowing your secret?" the Fright Knight asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Danny glared at him. "Why are _you_ asking me that? You're the one that told Ken-chan!"

"Kenpachi," the Fright Knight corrected. "I am asking you because a secret like that is not one to get fearful about."

"And you know what fear is like," Danny said bitingly, getting up. He was towering over the ghost until the Fright Knight got up, too. "Why did you have to tell him anyway?"

"I am not concerned with your secrets, boy," the Fright Knight said. "And you would do well to remember who you are talking to."

"The ghost of Halloween, of course! One that gets defeated by a pumpkin!" Danny was beyond caring now if he happened to insult one of the most powerful ghosts in existence.

"Watch your mouth, halfling," the Fright Knight said in a menacing voice.

Danny was beyond caring now. He didn't care that he was making a scene in front of a ton of other ghosts. He didn't care that he was pissing off the powerful Fright Knight. He just didn't care. Period.

"I've had a _very_ bad day," Danny said, poking a finger in the Fright Knight's chest plate. "Don't tell me what I should do. On top of almost getting eaten by a gigantic hollow and some, I was forced to come here against my will, interrogated by a bunch of arrogant shinigamis, and then I find out that they know I'm half-ghost! _Don't_ tell me what I should or shouldn't do!"

"But I will remind you as to whom you are speaking to. You do not see a pumpkin here, do you?"

"I don't really care," Danny said, crossing his arms defiantly. "I can take you."

The Fright Knight answered Danny's challenge with a rough thrust of his Soul Shredder's hilt. Danny dodged it, only to get knocked aside by a side swipe of the Fright Knight's left leg. It was such a powerful kick that the halfa was knocked straight across the tower and into the opposite wall, creating several large superficial cracks. ("Superficial" because the walls were so darn thick…) He'd tried to turn intangible to phase through but it had failed. He had no time to dwell on it, though, because the pain blocked out all thoughts.

Danny shook it off, keeping his feet on the wall and waiting for the Fright Knight's next move. It came when the ghost leapt off the floor and drew his fist back for a punch. Danny jumped off the wall just as the fist came down, resulting in the Fright Knight punching the same spot he had thrown Danny into. There was a huge dent there when he drew his fist back.

The knight didn't stop to admire his handiwork; he whirled around, his green eyes narrowed in two furious slits as he observed the white-haired boy who was standing on the spiral staircase directly across from him. Danny assumed a fighting stance and invited the Fright Knight to come at him again, smiling cockily.

The Fright Knight took the invitation, leaping off the wall and using his power of flight to increase his speed. He again attempted to punch Danny but ended up hitting the staircase; rubble fell to the floor twenty feet below. When the tiny smoke cloud cleared up, it could be seen that half of that part of the staircase was gone. What remained crumbled slightly, dropping more pieces of stone to the ground.

"Missed again!" Danny taunted, flying above the Fright Knight. His hands were cupped around his mouth. "I think you should visit an eye doctor!"

"Perhaps you should learn how to hold your tongue still!" The Fright Knight disappeared and then almost instantaneously reappeared behind Danny.

Danny barely had enough time to bring his arms up when the Fright Knight attempted to punch him in the stomach. His attack was blocked by Danny's arms, although the force threw Danny towards the ground. Knowing that the impact would hurt even worse than the last, Danny flipped himself around the right way and managed to stop his descent. He was still ten feet above the silent ghost crowd at the tower's bottom.

No sooner had he gotten his bearings was the Fright Knight there again. Danny brought his arms up once again, ecto-energy covering them. He was just prepared to unleash an offensive attack against the Fright Knight's when a barrier of Walker's goons separated him from the Fright Knight. One of them knocked him down to the ground and then remained floating above him, pointing the weapon it held at him threateningly.

"That's enough!" Walker roared, floating in-between the two groups. Half of his goons were restraining the Fright Knight; the other half were watching Danny.

The Fright Knight floated in his spot sullenly; Danny attempted to get around his guard but failed to do so. He remained sitting, glaring up at Walker.

Seeing that he had everyone's attention, Walker continued to speak. "While I do enjoy seeing you two squabble, it is not helping! Fighting in jail is against the rules."

"Even when it's not in your jurisdiction?" Danny called.

"Quiet!" Walker snapped, shutting Danny up. "You were the one that created a prison riot before," he told the ghost teen. "You should know full well what I'm talking about here."

Danny pushed the goon aside as he stood up, his hands clenched in fists. "Yeah, yeah. I get what you're saying. It was just a great way for me to relieve the tension." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the Fright Knight. "You were taking it easy on me, weren't you?"

The Fright Knight said nothing; he simply summoned his Soul Shredder from where he had dropped it on the stairs. This was enough to answer Danny's question.

"All right." Danny exhaled gustily. "I'm sorry for picking a fight with you," he apologized evenly. "But if it helps any, it did help relieve some of the stress that had been building up."

"You're welcome," was all the Fright Knight said. He didn't offer anything else.

"Do you have a plan?" the Box Ghost asked Danny. "We must escape from this cylindrical container! It is not right!"

The sudden appearance of the blue ghost startled Danny. He regained his composure a second later. "Well…not really." He changed his mind a second later. "No, wait. I do have a plan." He looked at each of the ghosts in the tower with him. "But it'll involve all of you guys. Are you willing to cooperate with me?"

"Depends," Walker said ominously. "Let's hear it."

In order to hear better, all the ghosts landed on the ground around Danny. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Before I tell you how I propose we get out of here, I need to tell you what I'd like you guys to do once we're out. I need you to be a distraction."

"What?" Walker growled, becoming a large and impressing figure.

Danny didn't flinch. "I said that I need you guys to be a distraction. Don't turn invisible; try to let yourselves be noticed. Spread out so that the shinigamis can see you guys. That'll help me get out faster. After that you guys are free to do what you want other than wreak havoc. We don't want to antagonize them any further because I know that won't help our situation any."

"You have a plan for escaping?" the Fright Knight asked.

"Yes," Danny said, even though he wasn't sure if it would work. "I don't know how well it will work, though, so it's best if I do it."

"Why not any of us?" one of the goons asked.

"For one, you guys don't have friends back in the other world. For two, I don't trust you guys to come back here and get the rest of the ghosts. Three, you guys can trust me to come back if things go well. Four, you also aren't wanted for dissecting the way Dr. Jekyll wants to dissect me."

"Good points," the Fright Knight said reasonably, earning a glare from Walker. "What is your plan for breaking out of this prison?"

"We can't phase through the walls," Danny said. "I tried when you knocked me into one. I don't know why but that's the way it is. We'll need to use offensive force in order to bust out."

"All of us together then?" the Fright Knight said.

"You guys agree?" Danny asked, surprised. "No arguing?"

"I don't agree with everything you said but there's sense in it," Walker said. "You really can't trust us."

"My domain is here," the Fright Knight said simply.

Danny looked out through a window slit on the ground wall to see what the Fright Knight was talking about. "Ah, yeah… If you ask me, it would look better in the Ghost Zone. The blue sky doesn't make it look that scary."

"Can't we just slip through one of those cracks?" a goon asked, pointing at that same window.

"Can you make yourself impossibly small and then squash yourself through that?" Danny said rhetorically. "No. We need to make a big exit. Aside from showing them that we can escape, it'll also show them that we aren't to be messed with."

"Something bothers me about that logic," the Fright Knight said. "Isn't it better to be underestimated?"

"Perhaps." Danny looked at the slit. "But I know that I don't have the ability to mold my ectoplasm into that shape yet. On top of that, I do need a distraction so that I can get back without a ton of trouble."

"Understood," the Fright Knight acknowledged. "Do we do it now?"

"Definitely. I need to get back fast; I know that Sam and Tucker are probably really worried by now."

"This tower shall be no match against the wrath of the Box Ghost!" the Box Ghost proclaimed, grinning madly. "I shall break open the wall with one punch!" He then proceeded to ram himself into the wall next to the window slit. With a loud crash, the Box Ghost slid to the ground, groaning miserably. There wasn't even a dent to show for his effort.

"Okay… Moving on…" Danny turned to the other ghosts; the Box Ghost floated up behind him, rubbing his now red face and looking disgruntled. "Use your strongest attacks," he directed. "We want to get this done fast without much trouble."

Without another word, all the ghosts crowded up in a large group, fists glowing with green energy. Danny was in the middle, his own fists glowing. He could have used his Ghostly wail, although he didn't know if that would break through the wall. It hadn't worked against the Sphinx. In addition, he didn't want to bring down the entire tower. Using ghost rays was a much safer way. Plus, he didn't want to reveal that ace to the ghosts; the shinigamis knew but he was sure that none of the ghosts present knew of his wail. And he wanted to keep it that way.

"On three!" he commanded, his eyes flaring. "One…"

The ghosts added more energy to their fists. The Fright Knight had his Soul Shredder almost blazing with light. His other hand was also glowing green.

"…two…"

Danny brought his hands together. "…three!" He fired; countless other green blasts joined his own.

The ghosts kept the attack up for a full minute before dropping it. When the smoke cleared, there were large cracks running from the impact point but there was no hole.

'_No!_' Danny thought, dismayed. He took several deep gulps of air. '_Guess we'd better try again then._' He tried to ignore the tired stances of the ghosts around him.

He started to say "Again!" when something the Fright Knight did startled him. The ghost of Halloween brought his sword up over his head; light flashed above the all the ghosts. Two seconds later and meteors rained upon the site where they had fired their ghost rays. The noise was so horrendous that they all ended up covering their ears; only the Fright Knight seemed unaffected.

Danny had his eyes closed to block out the dust. He opened first one eye and then the other when he saw what the Fright Knight had done.

There was a huge hole in the wall, letting in sunlight and fresh air. Danny smiled broadly.

"Let's go!" he shouted.

With that cry, all the ghosts zoomed out of the tower. Walker's guards went with him, the Box Ghost went off on his own, and the Fright Knight went off in another direction. Danny had turned invisible and left behind everybody else. He knew what he was looking for; he just didn't know where to find it.

'_Come on; come on,_' he pleaded silently. '_Please let me get lucky…_'

It was quite by chance (or luck) that he saw what he had been looking for: A jigokuchou! The small black butterfly – it _looked_ like a butterfly – was fluttering through the air towards a certain place. Danny didn't want it to get there. Before the poor butterfly knew what was happening, Danny had overshadowed it. It flashed green for a moment before returning to its normal colors.

The senses of a jigokuchou were completely different than anything else Danny was accustomed to. He wished he'd paid more attention in biology as he couldn't immediately tell where his eyes were. As far as he could tell, he was in a world of blue.

'_Where are my eyes?_' Danny panicked for a short moment when he inadvertently flapped his wings and seemed to black out. That's when he remembered. '_Oh, right! My eyes are on my wings!_' This revelation brought him mixed feelings. '_But how do I fly if I can't see properly? Use my antennas?_'

Danny wiggled the antennas that the jigokuchou – or he – had, trying to get a feel for using them. All the while, he didn't even flap his wings; his ghostly power kept him afloat. He remembered to after a short time and then began to fly forward, still trying to get the hang of his new body.

He was still trying when something seemed to strike him. Stunned, he stopped flying entirely and remained suspended in midair. This short pause in flying caused him to feel something foreign begin to move his limbs. Confused, he didn't realize what was going on immediately.

Then… '_Is the jigokuchou's mind overpowering my overshadowing?_' Danny mentally blinked at that statement. '_That sounded weird even to me._'

After a couple more minutes, he just "sat" back in the jigokuchou's mind and let the tiny animal do what it wanted to. Through its eyes he was suddenly disoriented as the entire world began to spin…and spin…and spin until it finally stopped, leaving him extremely dizzy.

It left him so dizzy that it took him another minute to realize that it was night and he was no longer in Soul Society. Dazed, he left the jigokuchou behind and emerged in his own body. Unfortunately, he was so disoriented that he didn't realize he was heading downwards until he crashed into the ground, knocking over a couple of trash cans in the process.

Danny groaned, suddenly feeling very, _very_ tired. Without thinking, he let go of his ghost half and reverted to Danny Fenton. His muddled brain heard some people stop talking. Reflexes kicking in, he jumped to his feet and prepared himself for everything…everything but the sight that awaited him.

It was his friends…accompanied by Skulker. He had made it home. Even though he couldn't recognize _anything_.

* * *

**Normal time****…**

Right after Danny finished his hefty tale, Ichigo began his. Everybody listened interestedly to him until he ended with his arrival back in the human world.

There was silence for several long moments as everybody absorbed the information they had just been given.

"Oh dear," Urahara finally said. "What a terrible mess."

* * *

**So that's where the title of this chapter came from! It is indeed a terrible mess so I'm not understating or overstating anything. In any case, I know that some of you guys might have issues with how Danny acted in this chapter, especially when he was with the ghosts. Think about it: He was extremely stressed out and locked in a tower with a bunch of his enemies. What would you do if you had the chance to pummel something after a very bad day? Danny took that opportunity; he's just lucky that the Fright Knight realized what he needed and provided it for him. (Although he _was_ insulted by Danny's remarks.)**

**In any case, I hope you guys liked what I did. Some of you guessed correctly that Danny left Soul Society via a jigokuchou. _ SpartanCommander _provided that idea so I have to thank him! He provides more ideas than I can keep up with... :) Hope you guys liked! REVIEW PLEASE!  
**


	22. Interlude of Sorts

**For those of you that are new, welcome! I hope you enjoy this newest chapter of Shinigami Phantom.**

**Dropping a review would be nice; let me know if you catch any grammatical errors. I've proofread but that doesn't catch everything.**

**Thanks to _stick fight3, Azelf1717, Samantha Batt Vampiress, SpartanCommander, Princess Serena til Universo, Bored2Deth, Mysticbreez, JetravenEx, Talk Bubble_, and _Piece of Toast_ for reviewing! I'm sorry that I can't reply personally but here are the general replies:  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Interlude…of Sorts**

* * *

_"Oh dear," Urahara finally said. "What a terrible mess."_

"No kidding," Danny said, folding his arms. "The shinigamis know who I am and have a ton of ghosts back there."

"Speaking of which," Skulker said, "I can't believe you took on the _Fright Knight_ of all ghosts."

Danny shrugged. "It was a great stress reliever at the time. Besides, he didn't seem to mind."

"Unbelievably," Sam muttered, resting her head in her hand. "This is going to be problematic."

"Indeed," Urahara agreed. "This will take a while to think about." He fanned himself, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Everybody in the room stared at him for a long minute; he had absolutely no reaction.

Eventually, the silence became too long and Danny leaned in to whisper to Sam, "While Ichigo and I filled up the silence, you guys still haven't told me your story."

"That'll take a while, too," Sam said, glancing at Tucker, who was on Danny's other side. "You really wanna hear now?"

Danny was about to say "yes" when Urahara broke in, musing. "We will have to take some sort of action. You three obviously aren't safe."

"Tell us something we _don't_ know," Danny said, amazed that after all that thinking, Urahara could only come up with the obvious.

"Your math?" Uryuu suggested, earning a glare from the halfa.

"In any case," Ichigo cut in, "what should we do?"

"You won't do anything," Urahara said, flapping his fan in Ichigo's direction. "Danny-san and his friends will have to go into hiding."

"How do we do that?" Sam asked. "It's not like we can disappear into thin air! I mean, Danny can but Tucker and I can't." She shot a glance at Skulker. "And what about _him_?"

"Nothing so elaborate," Urahara said dismissively. "We'll need to make sure that Soul Society doesn't suspect us." He didn't answer her question about Skulker.

"Suspect who?" Ichigo said. "Us? Them?" He meant Danny and the others. "Soul Society isn't very comfortable with any of us. I should think that we'll all be on the radar the moment they get here. If they haven't already."

"They haven't," Urahara assured. "I have placed alarms that will let me know the moment they do."

Tucker spoke. "We should relocate."

"Where?" Sam demanded just as Urahara said, "Perfect idea."

"They can stay at my apartment," Orihime volunteered.

"No no," Urahara said. "They will definitely look at your places but they don't know where Danny-san is staying. We should try and keep it a secret, too. Make sure that anything you do when you leave and enter your living residence is unnoticed," he directed Danny.

"Er…sure. That shouldn't be too hard."

"You should also transfer to a different school," Urahara continued. "Soul Society knows where Kurosaki-san is going so that is no longer safe. I will take care of any small details to ensure it goes smoothly."

Danny was surprised. "Well…thanks. But—" A bundle of clothes hit the back of Danny's head. He turned around to see a pair of jeans, a navy blue shirt, and a dark gray sweater. He looked up to see Jinta standing in the doorframe.

"Those clothes are yours," the red-haired boy stated. "The ones you've got really smell."

Ururu poked her head out next to her friend. "Jinta-kun!" she exclaimed, reproachful.

Danny shrugged, picking the clothes up. "No, it's all right. He's got a point. I haven't washed these things in forever."

"They aren't as smelly as ours were, though," Tucker said, making a face. "Ours _stunk_."

"Not surprising considering we jumped into a dumpster," Sam said dryly. "Not one of our more memorable adventures."

"You jumped in a dumpster?" Danny asked, confused. "Why would you do that?"

"That is perhaps something discussed elsewhere," a new voice interjected. A black cat with yellow eyes jumped up on the table in the midst of them. It inclined its head towards Urahara and continued in a masculine voice, "Soul Society has started moving."

"Aargh!" Tucker flinched away from the table. "A talking cat!"

Danny and Sam had frozen, simply looking at the black cat that was sitting on the table. The _talking_ black cat that was sitting on the table. Neither of them knew how to react. Skulker's jaw had once again fallen off and his left arm, too.

The matter was taken out of their hands when Urahara responded. "That settles the matter then."

Danny cleared his throat. "You're listening to a cat."

"I am not _just_ a cat," the cat objected, stepping daintily away from the jaw that had fallen in front of it.

"No," Sam said, grinning at it. "You're a wicked cool cat. My parents would totally freak." She looked at Urahara. "Do you get those a lot around here?"

* * *

"Okay, students, we've got three new students transferring over from Karakura High. Their paperwork was just filed and approved this morning. Let's give them a good welcome and make sure that their experience here is enjoyable," the balding teacher said. His round wire-rimmed glasses slipped down his nose as he squinted at the black-haired girl with red highlights standing by the chalkboard. "What's your name again?"

"Takehiko Michi," she informed him, smiling brilliantly. Her dark, nearly black eyes gleamed in the fluorescent lights.

"Sasaki Kenshin," the dark-skinned boy said, grinning lazily. His blue eyes were a shock in his black face. A sleek cell phone peeked out of his pant pocket. "Pleased to meet you," he told the class.

"Takehiko Haruki," the second boy muttered, shuffling his sneakers a bit. His hair was exactly like his sister's, even though his eyes were a weird shade of olive green.

"Very good, very good." The teacher shuffled his papers. "I am Mr. Tanaka. If you have any questions or complaints, be sure to direct them to me. In the meantime, you can take your seats…" He trailed off into mumbles, scribbling some things on his sheets.

The three new students also known as Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, and Danny Fenton sighed in relief as they slipped into their seats behind their desks. They'd passed the first hurdle of integrating into their new school without any problems at all. Now all that remained was to make it through the rest of the school day without incriminating any of them or doing anything extraordinary.

Which was easier said than done really…

Danny blinked furiously at the chalkboard, hating the contacts that were irritating his eyes. It was such a bother that they had to wear disguises to the new school. At least they didn't have to wear wigs; Sam had put up a fight about that. It was something about synthetic fibers not being good for the environment. On that same track, he failed to see how red hair dye was healthy for the body, even though Sam insisted that using this brand was completely natural and wholesome. It just didn't make sense.

He broke off on that train of thought when seeing the girl he was thinking about looking at him. Sam had slightly raised an eyebrow, as if asking "Well?"

Danny simply closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, the ghost of a smile passing over his lips. '_Yes, Sam. It was way easier than I thought it would be._'

Tucker smirked when seeing the exchange. It was about time those two hooked up. Although he hadn't really seen anything outside of those kisses… It wasn't exactly the time and place for a sudden profession of feelings anyway. He just had to be sure to give them time alone so that they could talk it out between themselves.

Then a thought struck him. '_Am I gonna be a third wheel after this?_'

Really hoping not, Tucker was still peering at Danny out of the corner of his eyes when he saw the familiar whiff of his friend's ghost sense. From the expression on Sam's face, she had seen it, too. To their great fortune, Danny hadn't made any outstanding noises other than a small gasp which he quickly covered up with a cough.

Sam shook her head at Danny, warning him not to go. The halfa tilted a shoulder to signal that he wasn't going to do anything. Urahara had told him that the hollows were Ichigo's job and Danny intended to keep it that way. Besides, Soul Society wasn't out to get Ichigo's hide.

'_I just hope it's not an actual ghost,_' Danny thought, glancing out the windows before returning his attention Mr. Tanaka's lecture. '_Ugh… I hate math… Why's our first ever class math?_'

* * *

For his first day back in the human world, everything had gone extraordinarily well. Nothing suspicious had occurred and no nasty ghosts showed up. Skulker had reluctantly promised to not bother them for the day after Danny had threatened him. Ichigo highly doubted that the ghost could do anything in the first place.

He was falling _apart_ for Christ's sake. If that didn't scream "obsolete" Ichigo didn't know what did.

In any case, he had to keep an eye out for anything and everything suspicious. While "suspicious" in his book meant shinigamis in gigais, for Uryuu it probably meant every punk with some kind of piercing. 'Course, weird looking hollows also ranked as suspicious in Ichigo's book.

With this thought in mind, the bell rang, signaling a change in class. Ichigo gathered his books to head off to World History. He shared that class with Uryuu, meaning that they could interact for the short minutes they had before class started up again.

To his not-surprise, Uryuu was already sitting in the seat next to the one Ichigo normally occupied. Although they usually kept their interactions during the school day to a minimum, this situation apparently warranted special circumstances.

"Hey," Ichigo said, sliding into his seat. "Seen anything?" he asked in a low voice.

"Nothing as of yet," Uryuu answered, watching Ichigo out of the corner of his eye. "If Yoruichi-san is right, which she usually is, Soul Society must be elsewhere."

"I hope not at my house."

"They are probably looking in every other place they can, if they are not gathering information."

"I hope that those disguises Urahara-san decked them out in work," Ichigo said.

"I barely recognized them. If I couldn't, then it's pretty much a guarantee that Soul Society won't either. All D-he needs to do is lie low and not do…that."

Ichigo nodded, remembering what Urahara had said about that. It was critically important that Danny not do anything that arise suspicion, which meant not turning into Fantomu. He suspected that he and his friends had plenty of practice in subterfuge. However, he doubted that the kind of subterfuge they specialized in was…well…_subtle_. The excuses Danny had given when Ichigo hadn't known had been pathetic. Did they come from a dimension where everybody was an idiot?

'_That's kind of hard to imagine,_' Ichigo thought, trying to picture it. '_Maybe they're all incredibly dense._'

He perked up as the teacher entered the room, setting up his books. He found history interesting as he was practically steeped in it (he _was_ communing with dead people on a daily basis). Unfortunately for Ichigo, he never found out what they would have learned in that period as his badge went off right when the bell clanged.

Ichigo sprang up by the third "HOLLOW!", sticking his arm up and blurting, "May I go to the bathroom?"

The teacher frowned disapprovingly. "Really, Kurosaki, can it wait?"

"No—_ow_!" Ichigo cried just as Uryuu "accidentally" dropped his heavy textbook on Ichigo's foot. "D—" He was about to swear before remembering the teacher in the class and amending to a "Darn it!" His face turned white in pain; that book was _heavy_!

Ichigo glared at Uryuu out of the corner of his eye. What did Uryuu _do_ to his textbook? Buy them made out of stone?

Uryuu did nothing other than apologize to the teacher for dropping his book on Ichigo's foot, which had been under the desk at the time. Of course, the teacher didn't comment on that, merely saying that since the World History textbook was a heavy one, Ichigo should perhaps run along to the nurse's office.

Biting out a "thanks", Ichigo managed to limp out of the classroom before hightailing it to the nearest broom closet, stuffing his body in there, and getting out of his school building to look for the hollow.

It didn't take him long before he found it; it was wreaking havoc on a nearby playground and scaring the few spirits that were there. The ordinary children were thankfully in school.

Not wanting to drag the fight out longer than it should take, Ichigo went straight for the head with Zangetsu. To his great surprise, the hollow whipped its tale out and caught Ichigo in the shoulder, knocking the substitute shinigami to the ground.

Ichigo spat out a mouthful of dirt. "What the hell? How did it _do_ that?" To his great surprise, a giant yellow eye blinked at him from the hollow's back. "Ah…"

He got up in one fluid motion, clutching Zangetsu in both hands. "All right. Although I find it weird that you've got more than two eyes"—the hollow's actual head turned towards Ichigo—"that's still not gonna stop me from whupping your butt!"

"_Where_?" the hollow growled, turning around fully and glaring at Ichigo. It bared its fanged teeth at the orange-haired teen. Saliva dripped down its jaws and drenched the soil. "Where is he?"

"Where is who?" Ichigo asked, confused. He normally didn't carry such…fluent conversations with hollows.

"The boy!" the hollow roared. "_Him_!" Its loud roar blew Ichigo's robes and short hair back. Its rancid breath made him gag.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo managed to say once he got his gag reflex under control. "I totally don't have a clue what you're talking about. Although, if it helps, moving on could help you resolve your breath issues." He covered his nose and mouth with a sleeve.

The hollow's response to Ichigo's not-so-innocent jibe was completely unexpected. "_PHANTOM_!"

Ichigo froze, his zanpakutou in mid-swing. '_It didn't say…Phantom?_'

"Give me the boy!" the hollow demanded, clawing at Ichigo, who recovered his wits in time to deftly move out of the way.

"I don't have him!" Ichigo jumped up into the air, Zangetsu above his head. "But it's about time that you say goodbye!" He sliced through the hollow's mask before it could do anything else and it dissipated with a last howl.

"_PHANTOM_!"

Ichigo stood there, not noticing the little spirits that were peeking around the trees they'd hidden behind. He was too busy contemplating what this hollow had to say and what it would mean for Danny and his friends.

'_The million dollar question is: What the hell does a hollow want with Danny?_'

* * *

A beautiful dark-skinned woman with dark purple hair was talking in Urahara's shop. She was in a relaxed position even though her eyes were vibrant and taking in every detail. Shihouin Yoruichi was currently telling her old friend everything she had been able to find out in Soul Society.

"They're shocked and furious that they managed to escape," she said. "It's never happened before and they couldn't imagine it happening now."

"Ah, yes. He told me about that," Urahara commented, drumming his fingers on the table between them. "In retrospect, Soul Society should have thought the decision through more before locking the ghosts up in one room."

Yoruichi laughed. "Got that one right. But then they normally don't think things through." She became serious. "Is there anything I told you that you _don't_ know?"

"What happened after they broke out? Danny-san was unable to elaborate on that as he'd made his way out."

"Well…"

_Flashback:_

**There was a reason Yoruichi had been the leader of the Covert Ops and it wasn't because she was a beautiful woman. It was because she was clever, skilled, and very sneaky when she wanted to be. Admittedly, she did enjoy a good joke now and then but that didn't detract from her abilities.**

** Oh no…**

** Tail swishing gaily, Yoruichi prowled along the roof ledge she was on. Her black feline form was slim and matched with the other cats found in Soul Society. It was the perfect disguise as cats could go virtually anywhere.**

** At the moment, though, Yoruichi was frustrated. Of all the places cats could go, this one place was where a cat _couldn't_ go. Oh, sure, technically she _could_ get in…if she wanted to be immediately arrested on charge of eavesdropping on classified information. A cat would look very out of place in a meeting of the Gotei 13.**

** Fortunately, luck was on her side. They'd picked a room with windows, meaning she could use her superior hearing to eavesdrop from outside. That only left the matter of not being found out by the guards or the taichous.**

** Simple enough really…**

** Internally smirking, Yoruichi leapt from the roof to the window ledge right outside the meeting room. She crouched down, huddling as close to the wall as she could. Now she wished that the castle that had vanished earlier was still there. The shadow cast by it could have been very useful to her black form.**

** Still, no use crying over spilt milk.**

** Her ears perked as she heard Yamamoto's gruff voice call the meeting to order. That was all it took for her to completely still and listen attentively to find out what she could.**

** "Does anyone have any information on the ghosts' whereabouts? Or are they all still missing?" Yamamoto asked.**

** "There's been no information thus far," Soifon said promptly. "However, a few of my scouts are still out there and will report back as soon as possible."**

** At this point Yoruichi saw a black figure dart up the path to the building. She immediately flattened herself, making sure that no part of herself was visible.**

** The meeting inside continued.**

** "What'd I'd like to know is why the knight's lair vanished," Kurotuschi said, sounding slightly put out at the fact.**

** Yoruichi smiled. She couldn't stand the mad scientist, even though she was friends with one (albeit a saner one since Urahara didn't experiment and torture things for the fun of it).**

** "Unfortunately, we can't find that out until we find the Fright Knight, and he's not here," Hitsugaya said in a steely voice. "Nor is he the kind that will simply surrender himself."**

** '_He sounds strangely…pleased by that,_' Yoruichi mused, catching an undercurrent to his tone. '_Why?_'**

** She was unable to think further on the matter when a new frantic voice broke in. "Taichou! I've found them!"**

** Against her better judgment, Yoruichi peeked into the room, seeing the black-suited man that had come earlier. She needn't have worried as all eyes were on the newcomer.**

** Soifon snapped at him. "Who? Where?"**

** "They're in the higher level districts of the Rukongai. Most are in District 80, although several have been seen in the 70s," the man reported swiftly. "It's the white-suited one and his guards. They seem to be rounding up people."**

** Soifon had barely looked back at Yamamoto before he said, "Go. Make sure they do not escape this time."**

** "Yes, sir!" Soifon sped to the door and barked to her subordinate, "Let's go!"**

** '_She really needs to lighten up,_' Yoruichi thought wryly. '_Otherwise that job is gonna end up killing her._'**

** "Well, that takes care of one group," Shunsui commented. "And it's the largest if I remember correctly."**

** "But we still don't know where that blasted Fright Knight and Fantomu are," Komamura growled, baring his sharp teeth.**

** "Peace, Komamura-san," Unohana said. "They will show up soon."**

** "Those are the two most dangerous ghosts and they are still on the loose," Yamamoto rumbled. "As long as they are on the run, Soul Society is in danger."**

** "With all due respect, sir," Hitsugaya said, "I don't believe Fantomu would do anything. It's the Fright Knight we have to keep an eye out for."**

** '_I see… It seems Hitsugaya is on Fantomu's side,_' Yoruichi thought, piecing it together. '_It explains why he's behaving the way he is._' Her amber eyes rested on Byakuya; he seemed bored. '_What about you, Byakuya? You've said nothing yet._'**

** "What do you think, Kuchiki?" Yamamoto asked. "You were also with Fantomu."**

** Byakuya sounded like he was carefully weighing each word. "Although the ghost is powerful, it seems that he means no harm."**

** "Therein lies the problem," Yamamoto proclaimed. "Fantomu is a powerful unknown entity. We cannot allow him to run unchecked."**

** '_Funny,_' Yoruichi thought. '_Shouldn't you say the same for Ichigo? Or do you think he's safely in your pocket?_'**

** "I quite agree," Kurotsuchi injected. "We have no idea of his abilities as he is an unprecedented being."**

** "He blew out a goddamn hole in the Senzaikyuu!" Komamura growled.**

** "We don't know that it was him," Hitsugaya protested. "He was locked in there with at least ten other ghosts!"**

** "You said he had an enormously powered wail that leveled Karakura Town!"**

** "Did you hear a wail?" Hitsugaya asked pointedly. "I didn't but you have much sharper ears than I do."**

** Komamura growled, frustrated, but said nothing. He hadn't heard anything and the rest of the taichous knew it. Therefore, the Ghostly wail Fantomu had used in the real world was out.**

** "So," Hitsugaya continued, turning to Yamamoto, "have we established if it was clear that Fantomu didn't break out of the Senzaikyuu by himself?"**

** "Perhaps not by himself," Yamamoto allowed, "but the fact remains that they broke out and are running rampant in Soul Society. I have declared a state of emergency. All shinigamis are to remain vigilant and to alert their superiors if they should see a ghost. I have made it explicitly clear that under no circumstance is a normal-ranked shinigami allowed to combat a ghost. Only fukutaichous and taichous are permitted to capture them and bring them in."**

** There was a general assent of agreement to that, although Yoruichi could tell that both Hitsugaya and Byakuya seemed indistinctly disappointed. She filed that information away for later notice. Kurotsuchi, on the other hand, seemed absurdly pleased at the chance to get his hands on a ghost.**

** "On to the second matter," Yamamoto continued. "We will need to deploy scouts into the living world so that we can keep an eye out for Fantomu's friends. Kurosaki Ichigo and his accomplices also merit observation."**

** '_So you are ranking him as important to watch,_' Yoruichi thought, her tail flicking to one side.**

** "Who did you have in mind for scouting?" Ukitake inquired.**

** "Soifon will take care of most of the work, although I will send a few of my own. Who I will send has not been determined yet." Yamamoto banged his staff on the ground. "This meeting is adjourned."**

** With those words, Yoruichi got up and slunk off. She had some reporting to do.**

_End Flashback._

"So I'm afraid I haven't the faintest idea who the old man is likely to send," Yoruichi concluded. "But whatever the case, Ichigo and his friends should keep an eye out. This goes for Danny, too."

Urahara waved a hand. "I took care of Danny-san. As long as he doesn't attract attention he should be fine. Kurosaki-san is already well aware that he needs to keep an eye out."

"Seems like you've got everything under control," Yoruichi commented.

"Not exactly. There is still the matter of the ghosts in Soul Society. Danny-san will want to help them."

"That's not advisable," Yoruichi cautioned. "Soul Society's at the highest state of alert. He'll be caught immediately."

"I think you underestimate Danny-san," Urahara said, raising an eyebrow. "But I shall do my best to keep him here."

Yoruichi nodded. "Good. And I was wondering what happened to your _other_ guest. I haven't seen him."

Urahara fanned himself nonchalantly. "Considering his abilities, I thought it prudent to send him scouting."

"You're sure that's wise? Isn't he a hunter?"

"I did say he's not to do anything that will attract attention – including hunting hollows as that will undoubtedly alert Soul Society."

Yoruichi grinned at her old friend, her head in her hand. "'Kay. That should do it."

Urahara bowed his head, smiling even as he thought, '_I do wonder why he was so quiet…_'

* * *

_Beep. Beep._

**Location:** 100 degrees west, 1,000 degrees up.

_BANG!_

**Location:** This St. and That Rd.

_BANG!_

**Location:** Can't you read, idiot?

_BANG!_

**Location:** … (blows raspberry).

_BANG!_

"Accursed thing!" Skulker smashed his built-in GPS, which had been insulting him. "That ghost child shall rue the day he decided to destroy my suit!"

Although he had no clue how Danny had even gotten his hands on the suit in the first place, it was more a matter of principle than logic. And principle dictated that Danny was to blame.

Growling quietly, he lifted a pair of binoculars to his eyes so he could spy on the room he was "scouting". While he was sure that Urahara hadn't had this in mind when assigning him the mission, he was technically scouting. He just wasn't scouting where he was supposed to.

Skulker was invisible. After hearing Danny's and Ichigo's stories, he knew that following Urahara's advice for discretion was the best course of action. It also meant he could spy on his target – the talking yellow stuffed bear.

It was bouncing around the room, pulling boxers over its head, scribbling on the walls, erasing the scribbles, and being a nuisance. Skulker doubted its sanity but was of the opinion that sanity didn't matter when it came to prey. It just had to be _unique._

And no matter what anybody said, a talking stuffed animal was most definitely unique.

"You are mine, talking stuffed toy," Skulker muttered, grinning maniacally.

Attaching his binoculars to his head, Skulker carefully aimed his arm, which had turned into a cannon. It went off without a sound, firing his trap into the bedroom. The toy never noticed a thing.

Skulker smirked. Operation Milk Carton was underway. The toy would be the _perfect_ bait.

* * *

**How was it? I put some humor in there as you can see. It isn't _Danny Phantom_ without some jokes. So...in conclusion...Danny and his friends are back in a different school under new disguises. Here are their names and their meanings:**

**"Michi" means "path" in Japanese. "Kenshin" means "modest truth", which is pretty much the _opposite_ of Tucker. "Haruki" comes from "haru", meaning "clear up" or "sun, sunlight", combined with "ki", meaning "radiance, shine" or "life". I think Danny can be considered a breath of fresh air... The last names I gathered from a Japanese surname site. Not sure what they mean, though. **

**EDIT (02/20/10): **_Silver Shadowbreeze_ has informed me that Kenshin, with the use of certain kanji, can also mean "Sword Heart," "Heart of Sword," "Sword Truth," or "Truth of Sword". I must say that the first two meanings would fit Tucker well.**  
**

**The next chapter will have more information on Aizen, Soul Society, and whatever else I can think of. It's going to be a transitioning chapter from one act of the story to the next. I already have some ideas on what to put in so that's good. REVIEW PLEASE! I can't help but notice that out of all the people that have this story on their reading list (over one hundred) only ten of you actually review. Do you think more of you can drop in and leave a note? Thanks!**


	23. The Middle Ground

**So this is a much larger chapter than the last. It went much smoother when I wrote it, too, because I first filled in all the small scenes before starting with the bigger ones. There's still no action in it but there will be MUCH more in the next two chapters. And suspense...LOTS of that... I already have them outlined. Reading some more _Bleach_ has also helped as I needed a quick refresher on some minor details. One thing I noted was that I had Ichigo already know about Zennosuke without another key character involved. That mistake will be remedied in the next so many chapters. For those of you who didn't notice, you'll probably wrack your brains and wonder...**

**NOTE: The chapter is really about 6,700 words long.  
**

**Thanks to** **_Salamander Hanzo, stick fight3, SpartanCommander, Talk Bubble, Hyperpegasi, Mysticbreez, Kai-Chan94, Silver Shadowbreeze, Minirowan, Bored2Deth, Yana5, serin2_, and _iDaun_ for reviewing the last chapter! I'd still like to hear from more of you so please drop a REVIEW!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Danny Phantom_ nor _Bleach_, although I sorely wish I do.**

* * *

**Chapter 23: The Middle Ground**

* * *

They were in a large room that had nothing but a gigantic stone table in it and the chairs that came with it. The room was dark save for a silverish light. The stone the room was made of was white and polished smooth as if it was marble.

Around the table were Aizen, Gin, Kaname, and the ten Espada, the highest ranking Arrancar under Aizen meeting had just been called and the Espada were waiting for Aizen to announce what he had called them for. When he summoned them it did not concern trivial matters.

They did not have to wait long…

"We are expecting a visitor sometime today," Aizen said softly, his eyes like stone. "Her name is Chikara."

"Chikara, eh?" an Espada with spiky blue hair asked, grinning maniacally. The sixth Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was not one to concern himself with authority, although he was more cautious around Aizen.

"Indeed," Aizen said mildly, his eyes flicking over to Grimmjow with a warning in them. "You ten will remain hidden so that she does not see you. I have no intention of letting her know that the Espada even exist and I intend on keeping it that way."

Zommari Ruruu, the seventh Espada, a brown-skinned Arrancar that was bald save for the horns that jutted along the middle of his head like a spine, nodded. "Yes. Your plan makes much sense." He shifted slightly to face the ex-taichou. "However, we have a slight issue that might prove to be troublesome."

"The hollows are disappearing," Szayelaporro Grantz, the eighth Espada, an Arrancar with pink hair and rectangular silver-rimmed glasses, spoke up.

"Although the damn shinigamis have always purified hollows, they have never been this aggressive," Zommari growled. "New hollows are always arriving but the old ones are disappearing quickly. A few days ago a large group of Menos Grande laid siege to Karakura, a most unusual behavior for them."

Aizen closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again, seemingly unconcerned. "The matter will be taken care of," he stated. "I am aware of what is transpiring and I will deal with it. For now, the Espada"—his cold brown eyes looked over all of them individually—"will remain hidden."

* * *

** Several hours later…**

She appeared silently, emerging from the shadows as if she had always been in there. Her blue hair flickered, casting dancing shadows on her pale face. Her odd eyes were fixed on the three that were in the same positions as before.

Her voice was soft as she asked, "Have you decided?"

Aizen leaned forward, his arms resting on the armrests of his throne. "It seems as if the decision has already been taken out of my hands."

Chikara raised a delicate eyebrow. "Do elaborate."

Aizen smirked. "Do you think I haven't noticed the disappearance of my hollows? Your master has already been helping himself to the lesser beings of this realm. It would seem as if he almost predicted my decision and decided to help himself prematurely."

"I assure you that my master did not do this with the intention of offending you," Chikara said smoothly. "That is, if you even are offended."

The brown-haired ex-taichou settled back, a small smile playing at his lips. "I am intrigued at your master's boldness. Not many would dare to run the risk of offending me."

The strange being flicked her head slightly, her blonde hair swaying as she did. "You are not done."

"Perceptive." Aizen's teeth gleamed slightly. "Consider yourself lucky. Your master's forthrightness has persuaded me to accept his offer."

Chikara's eyes gleamed. A few seconds passed before she finally said, "A wise decision, Aizen Sousuke. My master will be very pleased."

Kaname's head jerked to the side, as if he'd wanted to say something. Aizen's flicked over to him before they settled back on Chikara.

"However," he continued, a note of warning in his tone, "tell Hakaisha Tasekai that I will not cooperate with a nameless specter. If he expects my full support and cooperation, he needs to meet me personally."

Chikara inclined her head. "Very well," she acknowledged. "I will arrange something. You can expect a visit very soon." She bowed gracefully but it almost seemed as if she was mocking the three rogue shinigamis. "It's been a pleasure, Aizen Sousuke." With that said, she vanished just as silently as she'd arrived.

Kaname instantly spoke. "Aizen-sama, do you remember what she said last? She said that nothing would happen if you were to refuse her offer, yet she has now said that it was a wise decision on your part to agree."

Aizen brushed it off with a hand. "I suspected as much. It is nothing to worry about at the moment." He turned his head so that he was looking into the opposite corner where Chikara had disappeared into. "How long have you been waiting there, Starrk?"

Coyote Starrk, the first Espada, stepped out of the shadows, rubbing the back of his head. He had shoulder-length brown hair and the remnants of his hollow mask were nothing but teeth and a chin resting just under his neck. "Just now, Aizen-sama. I was trying to track her but her trail vanished the moment she left this room." He bowed his head. "I have no idea where she left to."

"It's fine," Aizen said simply, gazing off at an uncertain point. "The matter will be resolved very soon…"

* * *

**Shortly after the failed retrieval of the ghosts…**

"Taichou. We need to talk."

Hitsugaya sighed, having expected this talk since his uncharacteristic display after the ghosts' escape from the Senzaikyuu. His aquamarine eyes met his fukutaichou's unusually solemn visage. Her formal address was also out of the ordinary.

"Yes." Hitsugaya got up from his desk. "This way."

They didn't stop until they were on a secluded rooftop.

"What were you doing?" Matsumoto asked immediately. "Why did you lie?"

Hitsugaya's mouth quirked. "I _didn't_ lie."

Matsumoto's eyebrow twitched. "Don't joke."

"I'm not. I saw _something_. I…just didn't point them in the right direction."

"But…_why_?"

Hitsugaya sighed. "Fantomu isn't the threat Yamamoto-soutaichou thinks he is. The Fright Knight is the real threat, yet Fantomu is being lumped into the same category."

Matsumoto considered this. "How do you know? How can you be so certain?"

"I spent several hours interrogating him. Before that, I even spent time with him in the human world as you know," Hitsugaya said. "I think I have a good idea of his personality."

Matsumoto furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry but…are you sure he wasn't acting?"

"Yes," Hitsugaya said simply. "He was under highly stressful conditions and never did anything against us. He is in complete control mentally and physically."

"Then why don't you tell Yamamoto-soutaichou? He can call off the search!"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "He won't listen. You know that once he gets something in his head he doesn't stop until something distracts him or there is concrete proof stating the contrary. My testimony would not be considered concrete proof."

Matsumoto had to agree with this, no matter how it displeased her. "Then…what do you plan on doing?"

"Nothing as of yet," Hitsugaya said, staring into the distance. "I have to wait for the right moment before I _can_ do anything."

A jigokuchou fluttered into view, landing on Hitsugaya's outstretched finger. Its wings flapped for a few seconds before it flew off again.

The white-haired boy turned to his trusted friend and fukutaichou. "There's a meeting of the Gotei 13."

* * *

Rukia was miserable. She'd never imagined that something like this could happen. Yes…being a shinigami was dangerous work. She knew that firsthand.

Hell, she had held the zanpakutou that killed her fukutaichou.

But she hadn't thought anything could happen to Renji. He had always been strong, steady, and so sure of himself. It hadn't seemed _possible_ that anything could happen to him. And now…now he was lying in a hospital bed in the mental ward, unaware of his surroundings.

If only…if only she'd _been_ there. But she hadn't. She'd been on a mission to check out what was spooking the new shinigami recruits. Much to her disappointment, when she'd gotten there all she'd found was ice and a couple of confused and frozen shinigamis.

'_Useless,_' Rukia thought wrathfully, angry at herself. '_That was an absolute waste of my frickin' time._'

Renji was so pale…

"I'm sorry, Renji," Rukia murmured to him. "I should have been there for you." She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, opening them again to look at her friend's tense face. "I can't imagine what you must have seen. Your worst nightmare…"

Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white. "Renji…" Her voice was tortured.

She heard someone come in and looked up, seeing Isane standing at the foot of the bed. The gray-haired fukutaichous moved to the opposite side so she could look at Rukia.

After a short silence, Isane finally said something. "Even if you had been there, there wasn't anything you could have done. From what Unohana-taichou told me and from what I understood, the ghost who did this would simply have trapped you in your worst nightmare. Then you'd both be lying here."

"I know…" Rukia sighed heavily. "But I can't help but wish…"

Isane nodded. "We all do. Take comfort in the fact that we're doing our best to help him." She inclined her head before leaving Rukia to her depressing thoughts.

'_ "Take comfort"?_' Rukia thought bitterly. '_How perfect that would be!_' She gazed sadly at Renji's taught face, knowing that his sleep was anything but peaceful. "Oh, Renji…"

All the dark-haired shinigami could do was hope that her best friend would recover from this quickly.

* * *

**Two hours after breakout…**

"Do you think the punk's gone now?" Walker asked, his arms folded across his chest.

"It's been two hours by my calculations," the Fright Knight said evenly. "I should think he's been gone for a while now."

The two ghosts were flying high over the Seireitei, observing what they could from their invisible vantage point. The Fright Knight's formidable black castle was next to them, casting a dark shadow over the Seireitei. Walker's subordinates were elsewhere, still taking care of the distractions Phantom had asked for. Neither of them knew where the Box Ghost was, nor did they care.

"I'll call my guards off," Walker said finally after some deliberation. "We have other things to do."

The Fright Knight quirked an invisible eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I'm a warden," Walker stated. "I'm going to bring order to this place. What I've seen is absolutely miserable."

"I do not believe that Phantom had this in mind when saying to do what you want."

Walker smirked. "Well, he's not here, is he?" he asked rhetorically. "I'll do as I please, regardless of what he says."

The Fright Knight shrugged. "It's your head."

"Oh, please." Walker rolled his eyes, which went unnoticed as they were a solid green. "There's nothing to worry about. The one who brought us in was absolutely ridiculous."

"Not all of them are so weak," the Fright Knight cautioned.

"Be that it may; it doesn't matter," Walker said dismissively.

"Very well." The Fright Knight gazed at the black castle besides them. "I shall return that and then be on my way."

"Be my guest." Walker flew off, leaving the Halloween ghost alone.

The Fright Knight leaned his head back, closing his eyes. Without a sound, the castle flashed green before vanishing, a stark contrast to how it had arrived.

Satisfied, the Fright Knight called Nightmare to him before speeding off to solitude. It would be best for him to lie low.

It didn't take long for him to reach the outskirts of the "city" below him. Then there were nothing but open fields for him to enjoy.

However, it didn't very long before he caught sight of an eyesore. And this eyesore was so ridiculously large that the ghost couldn't help but stop to stare (he would _never_ gawk!) at something that he wasn't bound to forget soon.

There was the largest…_thing_ jutting out of the ground. The Fright Knight could guess that it was a chimney, although he'd never seen one so big. In front of the cannon was an inconspicuous looking house. But what _really_ caught his eye were the two large gray arms poking out of the ground and holding a banner over the house. He couldn't read what it said as it was in Japanese.

No sooner had he absorbed what that was did he catch sight of a familiar ghost who was hovering around two identically burly men. The Fright Knight's eyes widened further upon seeing the Box Ghost conversing rather normally with them.

He was just debating on whether or not to fly away quickly before the Box Ghost noticed him. Unfortunately for him, just as he had decided on fleeing the premises, the Box Ghost looked up and caught sight of the Fright Knight. He immediately began waving his arms frantically, trying to get the Halloween ghost to come down.

The Fright Knight was going to ignore the invitation when the Box Ghost flew up and floated by him.

"You have come!" the Box Ghost said. "Welcome and meet my new friends! They are lovers of all things cardboard and square."

"Good grief," the Fright Knight muttered, looking down at the two men who were now peering up at him. "I'll leave now."

"No!" The Box Ghost grabbed Nightmare's reins and started pulling on them, dragging the two ghosts down. "You will come!"

The Fright Knight wondered if he hadn't bitten off more than he could chew this time. If the ridiculous house was any indication, he knew that he was in for a very trying time.

Maybe he should have hung around Walker… At least he was sane, even though that _was_ highly debatable.

* * *

"Stun 'em and bag 'em, boys!" Walker called gleefully. "We'll teach 'em how to behave properly yet."

A goon floated up. "Sir, what about that man?" He pointed to a man hiding under a wheelbarrow. The guy looked like he'd never gotten a shave or a bath in his afterlife.

Walker shrugged. "Yeah, sure." He turned to face two goons with two bloody men. "Report!"

"They were fighting," one explained.

"We didn't do nothing!" one of the guys protested.

Walker pinched his nose. "Fighting and bad grammar. Stick 'em in the ground!"

Ignoring their prisoners' protests, the goons flew over to a patch of prisoner heads. They turned the men intangible and stuck them in the ground, flying off for more criminals once done.

"The locals call this place District 80," Bullet said, floating by Walker. "There are seventy-nine other districts."

"They had better not be in the same state of anarchy as this place."

"The reports have me understand that the lower the number, the better the living circumstances."

Walker's face darkened at this statement.

It was true that he wasn't the fairest of wardens but at least he didn't discriminate. Every ghost was treated equally, regardless of whether it was a wimp like the Box Ghost or a powerful halfa like Phantom. It didn't matter; they were all equal in the eyes of the law.

And here, the same shinigamis who had attempted to lock him up simply because they thought he was _dangerous_ (which he was but still…) weren't dealing with the dangerous criminals in their own backyard.

His own subordinates had stopped nearly ten murders in the short time they'd been here. _Ten_! And more criminals were coming in by the minute. (Admittedly, some of these criminals were arrested on charges of stealing and roughhousing rather than murder.)

Walker watched as a ghost dumped two men in the ground before flying off. The two men looked marginally better dressed than the others – but only marginally. Walker guessed they were from a lower number – maybe 78 or 79.

And more of the same kind – or better – were coming in.

"This is sickening," Walker growled.

"Sir!"A guard rushed to him. "Two hostiles will be here shortly."

"Why didn't you detain them?" Walker demanded.

"We couldn't, sir!" the guard said. "They're approaching too fast. It's like teleportation."

"It's called shunpo, ghost," a hard voice said from behind them. "You did well not to detain us; the results would not have been pleasant."

Walker saw Soifon and a masked man on a roof. He grinned at them. "It's so nice of you to join us," he said. "Do you like what I'm doing?" He gestured to the field of human heads, all of which either were looking at Soifon in awe, fear, desperation, or a mixture.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Soifon snapped, her eyes narrowed.

"What you should be," Walker retorted bluntly.

"Growing a cabbage field full of human heads?"

"_No_," Walker growled. "Keeping order!"

Soifon straightened stiffly. "It is our job to keep things in line," she said coldly.

Walker would have snorted if it weren't so undignified. "Oh, please! You call _this_ keeping 'things in line'?"

Soifon flushed scarlet, something that seemed to freak her companion out. "You _dare_?" she seethed.

"I dare to do what? Restore order to a place that obviously doesn't have any?"

"You don't belong here!"

Walker folded his arms, glaring coldly at Soifon. "Maybe not but you haven't been doing a good job here. Do you know how many murders my men have stopped in the short time we've been here? _Ten_. Multiply that by the amount of years you bozos have been ruling and you've got a lot of murders piling up."

Her cheeks flushed again, causing her companion to creep backwards. He didn't want to be around a blushing Soifon, especially if it was being caused by anger. Or maybe she _was_ embarrassed? Embarrassed by how true the ghost's statements were?

"What we do is none of your business," Soifon said heatedly, her eyes shooting daggers at Walker. "These people are supposed to govern themselves without interference from us."

"Weren't you the one saying that you're supposed to 'keep things in line'?" Walker threw her own words back at her.

"In the human world!" Soifon bit out.

"They look pretty human to me," Walker said pointedly. "They breathe, talk, walk, and eat. That's human behavior."

"And they smell," Bullet added.

"That, too," Walker conceded.

Soifon could take no more. "They're people who have died and are living again in the Rukongai! We shinigamis are of the same brand!" She unsheathed her zanpakutou. "Jinteki Syakusetsu, Suzumebachi!" In a flash of white light, her zanpakutou had morphed into a yellow, _very _pointy "ring" on the middle finger of her right hand. With a growl of frustration, she leapt at Walker, the shikai form of her zanpakutou leading her assault.

Walker lazily turned intangible, letting Soifon fly through him and land among the field of human heads, fuming.

"You'll have to be faster than that if you want to get anywhere with fighting me," Walker said, sounding bored. "What do you think, Bullet?"

"You're right," Bullet agreed, sneering at Soifon.

"You want speed?" Soifon's eyes flashed. "I'll show you speed!"

She was gone in the next instant, shunpoing behind Walker before he even realized what happened. He barely had time to flash his arm intangible when her hand sliced through it.

Walker instantly decided that he should leave now. Although he wanted to continue to aggravate her, he in no way wanted to get touched by that nasty weapon. He had a sneaky suspicion it would do a lot more damage than what he had initially suspected.

"Come, Bullet," he commanded, swooping away.

Bullet followed and with him the dozen goons that had been lurking around. They left a frustrated Soifon alone amongst a cabbage patch of human heads that were gazing at her in fear.

She was soon joined by her subordinate, who fidgeted nervously. He had absolutely no clue how to deal with his superior when she was in this state.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), it was taken out of his hands.

"Well?" Soifon snapped at her subordinate. "Get these people out of there!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the subordinate barked, inwardly wondering how on earth he was going to do that without a shovel and only two hands.

* * *

"Are the blinds closed?"

"Check."

"Door locked?"

"Check. But I don't think that would stop these guys…"

"Kitchen ready to go?"

"Che—_wha_?" Danny blinked at Sam, confused. "What's the kitchen have to do with anything?"

"Just making sure we've got enough food for the weekend," Sam said, shrugging.

"In that case, I'll just go check the fridge." Danny ducked inside the kitchen and opened the fridge. His exclamation of surprise was muffled but didn't go unheard by his friends. "Wow. We have seriously got to go shopping. The only thing we've got in here is a couple of frozen pizzas and…a bag of peas?" He came out of the kitchen. "What did you guys do while I was gone?"

"You were only gone for half a day," Tucker said. "We didn't do much other than worry about you."

"So we failed to go shopping when we first moved in here." Danny sighed. "Or we didn't get enough."

"Or maybe _someone_"—Sam shot Tucker a significant look—"was having midnight snacks."

"I was hungry!" Tucker defended himself.

"Then keep your snacks to the daytime so we can keep track of what we're eating," Sam rebutted, her hand on her hip. "We've got a limited amount of cash since my credit card doesn't work here."

"How much do we still have?" Danny inquired. "I know I donated about sixty dollars…"

"I put in fifty," Tucker said.

"And I put in the brunt of it by giving a brand total of two hundred and fifty dollars." Sam was checking her wallet. "But we have the rent to worry about, too…"

After a few more minutes, she reported, "We started out with about 32,385.75 ¥. Let's subtract about 15,000 for the prepaid rent and the first shopping trip and we've got 17,385 ¥ left. Since we don't know how much longer we'll be staying here we need to keep aside 13,000 for another month's rent. That leaves us with 4,385 ¥ for food expenses and whatnot and that's being generous."

"I guess we can always ask Ichigo for help," Danny suggested. "He should be able to."

"We can't depend on others, Danny," Sam objected.

"He understands, Sam. Don't forget – he helped me out in Soul Society."

"I know. And I'm really grateful for that but…" Sam glanced askance. "I'm…not comfortable with taking charity."

Danny looked down at his shoes and then realized that he was still in his itchy and new school uniform, which, by complete and utter coincidence, looked identical to the uniform Vlad had made them all wear when he was imposing all his rules. "Okay, er…I'm gonna go change out of these clothes. Be right back." He darted into the bedroom.

Tucker took this chance to talk to Sam real quickly. "Do you want to talk with Danny alone?"

Sam snapped her head around so fast Tucker was amazed she didn't get whiplash. "What gives you that idea?"

"I'm not an idiot, Sam. I know you guys have stuff to talk about after…that." He referenced the kisses they had shared.

"Yeah…" Sam admitted grudgingly. "That'd be nice. Where are you going to go, though?"

"The bedroom." Tucker glanced at her then. "Unless _you_ want that…"

Sam flushed. "_Tucker_!" Her voice carried a warning.

Tucker put his hands up. "All right. Just asking." He grinned. "But there's always the couch."

Sam glared at the techno geek and was about to do something really rash when Danny came out in the clothes Jinta had tossed at him. The gray sweater, cut in a V-neck that showed off the navy blue shirt under it, fit his form snugly and hinted at his lean figure. His jeans fit him much better than his old, stinky pair, hugging his legs more, something that Sam couldn't help but notice. A light blush colored her cheeks and she had to turn in order to hide her face.

"Something wrong, Sam?" Danny asked curiously, completely oblivious to the effect he was having on her.

"No," Sam said immediately, managing to suppress her blush. "That…sweater looks good on you."

Danny blushed, too, now. "Thanks…"

Tucker looked between his two friends, feeling really awkward now. "Okay… I've got something to do so…" He dashed off into the bedroom, closing the door behind him to give the couple more privacy.

"Er—"

"You—"

Danny and Sam both cut off, blushing.

"You first," Sam said instantly, cursing herself for this awkwardness.

Danny nodded, seeming unsure. "Okay…" He sat down on the couch, taking Sam's hand and pulling her down, too. His sudden boldness surprised even him and he had to swallow heavily before managing to say, "Why don't you tell me what you guys did after I went off to fight those hollows."

Sam was slightly disappointed that he didn't immediately talk about what had happened last night but acquiesced. Danny noted this and hastened to cover up his mistake.

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it," he said hastily. "It's that I—the thing is—it's just…" He stopped, frustrated. "I don't know what to do," he admitted after another moment. "So if you don't mind…talking about you guys and what happened that you had to dive in a dumpster"—he grinned as Sam wrinkled her nose in disgust—"will give me more time to think of something."

Sam couldn't help but think that Danny looked really cute when flustered. Unfortunately for her, she had to put this out of her mind as she began to tell the story. She started with telling Danny about class, about worrying, about running into Skulker, about talking to Ichigo's friends, about running into Walker—

"You guys ran into _Walker_?" Danny interrupted.

Sam shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. It wasn't anything big. Why didn't you say anything about Skulker?"

"Skulker's old news. Walker isn't."

She raised an eyebrow. "You going to let me tell the story or not?"

She continued talking until she came to Zennosuke's arrival, which was when Danny snickered and said, "Soul Society has _no_ clue."

Sam broke off. "_Why_?" she demanded.

Danny couldn't help but grin slightly at the memory. "Hitsugaya said that the shinigami here should be able to take care of anything. Ichigo said the guy was an idiot. Based on your description, I'm inclined to agree with Ichigo. Soul Society is really bad on keeping tabs on their shinigamis."

"They seem like the kind to do that," Sam commented dryly.

"So keep going."

And she did.

Danny grimaced when Sam mentioned the dumpster and smiled when she got to Urahara and Skulker. He frowned slightly when she went through the description of telling the eccentric storekeeper and Ichigo's friends Danny's secret but kept silent, knowing that it was over. Finally, her tale grew to a close, ending with Sam impulsively kissing Danny on the cheek.

Danny brought a hand up, surprised. "What was that for?"

Sam looked away, embarrassed. "For coming back."

Slowly, he gave Sam a hug, saying softly, "I could never have stayed away from you. You're too important to me. And Tucker as well," he tacked on as an afterthought.

Sam gave a small laugh. "I'm glad, Danny." She smiled rather shyly. "Do you…do you have a better idea of what to say now?"

Danny smiled back ruefully, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Sam's ear. "No." He sighed heavily. "You really surprised me," was what he finally said.

"It was a spur of the moment thing," she admitted. "I was so happy and relieved that you were all right that I…" She shrugged, unable to finish.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm really glad you did." Danny smiled gently at her. "It gave me the courage to realize something I should have figured out long ago."

Sam scarcely dared believe what he was going to say. "What?" she breathed.

Danny nervously ran a hand through his artificially highlighted hair. "I…I really like you, Sam."

Sam exhaled sharply, now noticing that she hadn't breathed. He _liked_ her! _Her_! The socially awkward and rebellious Goth that everyone scorned. _Her_!

Belatedly, she realized that she'd been quiet for too long.

Danny was staring at her worriedly. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked anxiously. "I mean…I'll understand if you don't—mmph!"

Sam shut him up with a kiss. When she drew back she simply said, "I feel the same way."

"Oh, good. Er…" Danny looked sheepish now. "Do you…still have that ring I gave you?"

Sam had never let it off her person, something she was ridiculously glad for now. Unfortunately, it was in the bedroom Tucker was in. The one time she _didn't_ have it on her she needed it!

Danny, interpreting Sam's "deer caught in the headlights" look as a "no", sighed and said "'Course, if it's back in Amity Park I completely understand…"

"No," Sam said immediately. She sat up abruptly. "Hang on a moment."

Determindedly, she marched into the bedroom, surprising Tucker – who had been tinkering with the phone.

"Sam!" he started. "How…?"

She wordlessly shook her head even as she opened the closet door and rummaged through her skirt, her fingers finally closing on something cold and metallic. She fully intended on escaping before Tucker saw anything but luck wasn't on her side.

Her friend had seen Sam's closed fist and connected it with her flushed cheeks.

"Sam!" he said in a hushed tone. "Is that what I think it is?"

The only answer he ever received was the bedroom door closing in his face. He fell back on the bed, glumly wondering if he'd ever be that lucky.

Outside in the living room, Sam had rejoined Danny on the couch. Silently, she took his hand and dropped the ring in it. Danny held it up, reading the inscription on the inside bands.

Sam grabbed the opportunity to ask something that had been bothering her ever since being trusted with it. "Who's Wes?"

Danny blinked at her. "Wes?"

"The name inscribed on the ring!"

He stared at her for a long moment and then returned his attention to the offending piece of jewelry. Squinting at something, Danny flipped the ring around; his expression brightened.

"Oh, Sam." Danny started laughing.

"What?" Sam asked, irritated. "I asked a perfectly legit question!"

Danny kept laughing but was now shaking his head. "Oh, _Sam_…"

"_What_?"

Shaking slightly with mirth, Danny placed the ring in Sam's fingers and had her hold it up to her eyes. "Read it again."

Sam did. And then read it again. Wes now read Sam.

She smiled sheepishly as Danny took the ring back. "Oh."

"My dad gave it to me," Danny mused, fingering the ring. "He knew that early on that I liked you as more than a friend." He shook his head, giving a rueful chuckle. "I can't believe I was so blind."

Danny inhaled deeply and faced Sam, a determined glint in his eyes that sent chills down Sam's back. "Sam," he started seriously, "will you be my girlfriend?"

Sam smiled brilliantly. "Yes, Danny."

Taking her left hand, Danny slid the ring on her ring finger. He met her happy gaze and smiled, leaning in to kiss her.

Thus it was that their first kiss as an official couple took place in a dark living room as they were being spied on by their best friend.

Tucker grinned happily, quietly shutting the door to give his friends privacy.

It was about time those two lovebirds got together.

* * *

**After the meeting of the Gotei 13 that Yoruichi had spied on…**

"Do you two know why I have called you here?" Yamamoto was facing a window that looked over much of the Seireitei.

The two taichous standing there gave the old man a negative. Inwardly, though, both of them were wondering if he had somehow found out about their actions after the ghosts' breakouts from the Senzaikyuu.

It could be said that Hitsugaya Toushirou and Kuchiki Byakuya were nervous, even though neither of them showed it.

"You two have spent the most time with Fantomu. You have also conversed with his human companions." Yamamoto turned slightly so that his taichous saw his side profile. "It is for these reasons that I have chosen the two of you to go to the living world."

Neither Byakuya nor Hitsugaya reacted, although both were relieved that they hadn't been discovered.

"Who will we be accompanying?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Soifon will be going, as will a subordinate of her choice."

"Sir, if I may ask, what happened to the ghosts that she had to retrieve earlier?" Hitsugaya inquired.

"That mission failed," Yamamoto said. "The ghosts escaped after causing much chaos."

"What are our orders in the living realm?" Byakuya questioned.

Hitsugaya – who was no big fan of the second division's taichou – had to quit imagining Soifon being squashed under Walker's shoe. He'd just been about to follow it up with her being smashed by Yamamoto's cane but he had to pay attention to the answer.

"Keep your eyes and ears open to any suspicious activities. If you find Fantomu, bring him in as soon as you can."

Hitsugaya kept a frown off his face. There was nothing he could do to change the soutaichou's mind and trying would only result in dangerous consequences for him.

"This mission _must_ go smoothly," Yamamoto ordered sternly. "We cannot let Fantomu run loose in the living world."

Hitsugaya and Byakuya acquiesced, even as both were making plans to "smoothly" sabotage the mission without making it seem like it was being sabotaged.

'_This is going to be complicated,_' Hitsugaya mused, splitting paths from Byakuya after being dismissed. It was going to be tricky doing anything without alerting the other taichou.

Unknown to him, Byakuya's thoughts were running along the same track. He, however, had more of an idea of what he could do as he was going to be much more subtle than Hitsugaya.

The white-haired taichou met Matsumoto on the roof they'd been on before the meeting of the Gotei 13.

"Well?" she prompted after Hitsugaya failed to say anything for several minutes.

"Kuchiki and I are going to the living world with Soifon and her subordinate," Hitsugaya finally said. "Her retrieval mission here went awry and we've been ordered to make sure this one goes smoothly."

"So what will you do?"

Hitsugaya gave her an askance glance. "What do you think?"

Matsumoto's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Cause chaos?"

His eyes glinted. "It has to go _smoothly_. I just have to do it in such a way that the others don't notice."

Matsumoto couldn't help a small laugh. When her taichou got it into his mind to do something, it was done.

Hitsugaya gave a small smile, his fast mind already whirling through ideas.

This was going to be complicated…but fun. _Very_ fun…

* * *

"Well, Chikara?" The voice was chilling. "What was his response?"

Chikara stepped out of the shadows, dropping into a graceful bow before straightening up. Their relationship was much closer than that of Nai Samurai's relationship with her master, something she was well assured of.

"He is favorable to your offer," she responded carefully. "However, he asks to meet you."

"Aizen is not one to use such words, Chikara," Hakaisha said immediately, his tone rebuking. "Do feel free to not edit your words."

Chikara inclined her head, her flickering hair casting shadows among her face. "Very well then. Aizen has noticed that you have been using his hollows to inhabitate the Ghost Zone and Amity Park."

Hakaisha chuckled darkly "I did not think that my use of his hollows would go unnoticed. Judging from your temperament, Aizen does not care."

Chikara's mismatched eyes met her master's greenish-red ones. "He does not. However, he has asked to meet with you for he says that he will not cooperate with a person he has not seen."

"I expected as much from the man." The villain stood up in a fluid movement, the shadows revealing nothing more than his silhouette. "Come, Chikara. We shall meet with him then."

"Yes," Chikara said simply.

* * *

**So what did you think? I've been updating myself on _Bleach _and rereading some chapters to give myself a refresher course. It's been too long and I need to get the Arrancar in character. I hope you liked the scenes with Aizen and Chikara. Hakaisha will be revealed the next chapter. What did you think of Danny and Sam? I think I've been getting better at writing romance, although it'll remain at a "K+" level. More I really can't do. (shrugs) Reading the Twilight fanfiction has helped a lot, though...**

**EDIT (03/30/10):** I've started on Chapter 24, although it's still nowhere near done. Thanks for your patience!**  
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**As I stated in the last chapter, I'm getting a lot more hits and alerts than reviews. I'd like to get more feedback so I know what I'm doing right. If you have any comments and thoughts on what I could do to improve my writing style I'd like to hear it. So please REVIEW! :)  
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	24. Into the Vortex

**Sorry for taking so long? This chapter just wouldn't come! I got stuck during the battle scene... I hope the length of this chapter makes up for the wait though. Over 11,000 words isn't bad, right? I'm not totally happy with this chapter and even though one reader has assured me that he'd prefer to wait for a good quality chapter I'd rather just post this now. I think this is the best I can do at the moment.**

**Big thanks to _SpartanCommander_ for TWO sections of this chapter! He practically wrote it himself, as his sense of humor is pretty developed. ;)  
**

**Thanks to _stick fight3, potterinu, Yana5, Thozmp Corris, Talk Bubble, Silver Shadowbreeze, Kai-Chan94, SpartanCommander, iDaun, Black Cat Angel,_ and _StormGoddess101_ for reviewing the last chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach_ nor _Danny Phantom_. All OCs are mine and I don't own part of this chapter either as that belongs to _SpartanCommander_.**

**Let me know if you see any noticeable grammer mistakes or typos and I'll fix them. I read through it but still... REVIEW PLEASE! :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Into the Vortex**

* * *

Aizen had never expected this. He'd thought that Chikara was unusual enough. He'd never thought that Hakaisha Tasekai would look just as strange, if not even queerer. For while Chikara was an odd work of art, Hakaisha looked…looked like an accident. He looked like something that shouldn't have happened.

Hakaisha looked so strange but Aizen himself knew that looks weren't everything. He could feel the power pouring off of him. It was easily ten times the reiatsu of any taichou in the Gotei 13. In fact, if Aizen were to hazard a guess at the type of hollow Hakaisha would be, he would say _Vasuto Roude_, or _Vasto Lorde_, the highest of all the hollow classes_._ There was no mistaking that ridiculously powerful reiatsu and the almost humanoid figure. He even had horns to boot.

The horns were green and jutted out from amongst smaller spikes that flickered as if they were made out of fire. Unlike Chikara's mask, his was more intact. His mouth was similar to the one possessed by Tia Hariberu, his third Espada, when she wasn't in her released state. His entire face, save for the area where his eyes and nose were, was covered with a normal looking hollow mask. But what skin was visible was a sickly shade of green, contrasting the healthier green of his horns. Like Chikara, his eyes didn't match. They were red and green but faded in the same pattern as Chikara's eyes.

Hakaisha's body was misshapen but looked powerful. His left arm resembled that of a regular hollow; the right was human and clothed in a shadowy black. The hand had pale white human skin but was shaped like a hollow's. His torso was two-thirds hollow and one-third clothed in a shadowy black and resembling a human's. The two-thirds hollow took over for his legs; there were jagged green stripes running up them. In summary, his entire body was a mixture of green, whitish-grey, and black. To top it all off, his body had a greenish glow, contrasting with Chikara's white.

The mismatched eyes crinkled as if he was grinning. "Not what you expected, is it, Aizen Sousuke?"

Aizen stepped down from his throne to walk down the steps. His voice was cool. "I find it curious. I've never seen someone like you."

"Naturally." Hakaisha raised his right hand to draw it into a fist. "There are not many like me. I am an oddity – much like the half-ghosts Chikara informed you of." He locked eyes with Aizen. "Have you decided?"

Aizen smirked. "There's really no reason for me to refuse now, is there?"

Hakaisha gave a low mirthless laugh. "Indeed, Aizen. In that case, perhaps it would be prudent for me to inform you that your friends in Karakura will be receiving a visitor soon."

Aizen didn't show any sign of surprise, although both Kaname and Gin shifted slightly in their positions. "Oh?"

The strange creature in front of the three ex-taichous half-turned, swiping his human arm straight down through the air. The air ripped apart, bleeding green that dripped to the floor.

"Oh my…" Gin leaned sideways to get a better view at what was being presented through the rent in the air.

Kaname jerked his head, disliking that he was the only one unable to see what was happening. He could sense that something had changed in the air but was unable to tell what.

As for Aizen…he had taken a spot next to Hakaisha to gaze through the window to the living world. What he saw made him give a small smile.

"Excellent…"

* * *

"My name is Hirako Shinji…" The new student was currently writing his name on the board. He finished with a flourish and bowed to the class. "I look forward to working with you all!"

The only problem with his name was that it was _backwards_. The teacher noted this.

"It's backwards, Hirako-kun," she said, staring in amazement.

"I know. I'm great at doing things backwards. It's my talent." Shinji grinned, showing off each of his perfectly aligned teeth. His blonde hair was chin length and his eyes a light brown.

'_Another new kid…_' Ichigo sighed into his hand and wished the class would just get on already. '_And a weirder one than Danny._'

"You can sit next to Kurosaki," the teacher said to Shinji.

Ichigo didn't move as the new student sat down next to him.

"Hey," Shinji said, flashing Ichigo a grin that the other teen found creepy. "It'll be nice getting to know you better."

Ichigo subtly moved his chair to put some distance between them. "Sure…" He hoped the new kid got the message and would leave him alone.

Unfortunately, by lunch time, Ichigo had a new friend named Hirako Shinji, who had self-appointed Ichigo as his guide throughout Karakura High. The sad thing was that he had absolutely no reason to complain to a teacher so he was stuck.

"So where do you normally eat lunch, Ichigo?" Shinji was also addressing him familiarly, something that irked Ichigo. Even though he'd been fine with Danny, Sam, and Tucker addressing him so familiarly when he hadn't even known them, they were at least not creepy. Not creepy equaled familiarity; creepiness equaled distance.

"With my friends," was Ichigo's curt reply.

"Cooool." Shinji drew the word out. "Can I join?"

Ichigo grumbled under his breath for a few seconds before reluctantly saying, "If you want…" '_Hell, no. Just back off._'

"You got any hobbies outside of school?"

'_I purify hollows and send spirits to the afterlife._' "No."

"Any girlfriends?"

"No." '_Whatever god there is, please do something to save me from Hirako._'

Fortunately for Ichigo, his hollow badge decided to go off then. "HOLLOW! HOLLOW!"

'_Thank you!_' Ichigo abruptly stopped, causing Shinji to run straight into him and make Ichigo drop his lunch bag on the ground, causing the contents to scatter around the floor. "Ah crap!" He whirled around and grabbed Shinji by the shoulder. "I'm gonna go and grab a lunch from the cafeteria."

Without another word, he sprinted down the hall, fully intending on making the most of his time away from Shinji. He didn't notice the look the boy sent after him; the look that said too much.

* * *

"Heeya!" Ichigo cut straight through the hollow's mask from above, purifying it. He landed on the ground, placed Zangetsu over his shoulder, and looked thoroughly disgruntled. "Ah, great. That was too easy." He looked hopefully at his badge for a long moment.

"I do believe that this is the first time I've ever seen a shinigami wish for a hollow to show up," a new voice cut in from above Ichigo's ahead.

"Huh?" Ichigo looked up, only to be met with Shinji's face. "Aargh!" He punched him, nailing Shinji in the nose. "_You_!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Shinji flipped over and stood next to Ichigo, clutching his nose. "You didn't have to _hit_ me!"

"You're the creep who's stalking me!" Ichigo argued. "What the hell _are_ you?"

Shinji looked at Ichigo over his hand, his face unusually serious. "You're acting better than I thought you would."

"Yeah, well, after the events of the last few days I'll accept just about anything." Ichigo exhaled heavily and continued. "But that still doesn't mean I'm not going to ask you what the hell you are. You say you're a transfer student but you're floating in the air"—he noted the zanpakutou at Shinji's waist—"_and_ you're carrying a zanpakutou."

"I suppose you won't apologize for breaking my nose?"

Ichigo glared. "Your nose is fine. I'm just going to ask you nicely one more time as to what the hell you are. You obviously know who I am but I don't know who you are. So let's even the ground."

Shinji rubbed his nose one more time, wincing as he did so. "Owie… So where to start…"

"How about with why you enrolled in a school when you're obviously not a human."

"I had to see you in your normal environment." Shinji grinned, the purple bruising around his nose making it look even creepier. "I didn't expect my luck to be so good that you'd be chasing after a hollow during lunch."

Ichigo winced, rubbing his face. "You just sounded like someone I know. But that still doesn't answer my question."

"You're so impatient." Shinji brushed the bangs away from his forehead. "But maybe this will answer your question." His hand paused by his forehead and something began materializing.

When it finished forming, Ichigo gaped in a mixture of astonishment and horror. "A…hollow mask!" He clutched Zangetsu. "What the hell _are_ you?"

"I am a Vizard." Shinji let the mask disintegrate. "The same as you. Join us, Ichigo. You don't belong with them."

A chill ran down Ichigo's spine. " '_Us_'?"

"I'm not the only Vizard. So?" Shinji gazed expectantly at the orange-haired shinigami. "What's your answer?"

"Hell, no!" Ichigo immediately barked, throwing Shinji off guard.

"Eh?" Shinji looked dumbfounded.

"You heard me. I say no." Ichigo placed his left hand on his hip; the other held Zangetsu.

"Why?"

Ichigo turned stony brown eyes onto him. "I'm not gonna listen to some random guy I've just met saying that I don't belong with my friends. You don't know me and you can't make that assumption."

Shinji grated his teeth. "Ichi—"

"Oh! I'm gonna be late for class. Later!" Ichigo shunpoed away before Shinji could say anything else.

"Argh!" Shinji growled in frustration.

A second later he sighed heavily, pulled out a cell phone, and dialed a number. It rang a few times before someone picked up. "Hey… It didn't work."

* * *

After retrieving his body from a janitor's closet, Ichigo had about two minutes before his next period. He hadn't eaten any lunch but what he'd found out on his break (and the fact that he could dump Shinji) more than made up for the lack of sustenance.

He met up with Orihime as she shared the next class with him.

"Kurosaki-kun, I didn't see you at lunch," she said, waiting for him to catch up.

"Oh yeah… Hirako wanted something with me," Ichigo said. He didn't want to tell her about the strange conversation they'd had. Or even about his inner hollow.

"Did you make friends with him?"

"No," Ichigo stated adamantly. "He's downright creepy."

"Really?" Orihime blinked. "I don't think I've ever heard you call anybody creepy before."

"Getting to know Shikyo has opened me up a lot more," Ichigo said dryly. He didn't even stumble over Danny's fake name. They'd all decided that to save Danny's and his friends' new identities they'd keep addressing them by their old names.

Orihime hugged her book to her chest. "That's nice to know."

They stopped at the classroom door, watching the rest of their classmates goof off, read, or look dead bored. Ichigo was about to let Orihime go in before him when he caught sight of a stuffed animal hanging down from the ceiling.

"_Kon_?" Ichigo headed towards him, leaving behind a confused Orihime. "What are you _doing_ here?"

Kon began wiggling in whatever was holding him to the ceiling. Ichigo couldn't tell what it was even as he was nose to nose with the mod soul. He grabbed the stuffed animal by the head and poked at the air above him, trying to discern what was keeping him afloat. His finger met something small and thin.

"Huh."

Kon squirmed even more, trying to say something.

Ichigo scowled at him. "Hey. I know you can talk and there's no one else around here. I'll be getting you down in a moment."

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime had moved a few feet. "Um…why is he hang—ah!"

Ichigo had snapped the thread that was holding Kon up but the moment he did a glowing green rope came out of nowhere and snapped around his feet, jerking his legs from out under him. "Urk!" His head slammed on the tiled floor, making his vision black out at the edges.

He was dazed enough that he only half-noticed the rope tugging him along the hallway, leaving behind a bewildered Orihime as the bell rang.

"Inoue!" The teacher saw the girl standing outside the classroom as she was about to head in. "Is something wrong?"

"K-K-Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime stammered, pointing down the hallway.

"Huh?" She looked only to see the telltale flash of Ichigo's orange hair disappear around the corner. "Man. Guess I'll have to write him off as absent then." Pushing a flustered Orihime in ahead of her, she muttered, "I wonder why he was crawling."

Orihime could only hope that Uryuu saw something and put a stop to whatever had snagged her love – errr – friend. '_Kurosaki-kun!_'

* * *

The subject of Orihime's thoughts was not having a good time at the moment. In fact, it was highly arguable that he was having the worst afternoon of his very momentous fifteen years of life.

Unfortunately, he was too dazed to think anything else than '_Shit!_' while screaming. He was so loud that the classrooms he passed opened up to see what the commotion was about. All they saw was the telltale flash of Ichigo's orange hair before he was jerked further down the hallway.

Ichigo never noticed the rough rug conveniently laid out in the middle of the hallway until it ripped through his fragile school shirt and left it in shreds that scattered throughout the hallway. Then to add further insult to injury, disks fired out from various corners. They didn't injure Ichigo but they did snap his belt and destroy his pant in such a way that it began slipping off his waist. Fortunately, his boxers were unharmed.

"_Aaaargh_!" Ichigo went flying through a window when the green rope failed to phase his very tangible body through solid glass; the impact pulled the rest of his pant off so that it was sticking to his shoes and he was now only in his boxers. His arms flailed wildly as he found himself suspended in midair by only the rope tying his feet together.

By now, everybody was looking out to see fifteen-year-old Kurosaki Ichigo be strung upside down on the flag of Karakura High with only his sensibly white boxers keeping him modest. Luckily for Ichigo, he failed to see this as his attention was occupied by the appearance of the ghost responsible for the mischief.

"_You_!" Ichigo couldn't do anything other than hold the flag post behind his head for fear of falling.

"Hah. Operation Milk Carton was a success," Skulker said proudly. He grinned smugly, inspecting Ichigo from the feet down. "And what a fine specimen you are," he added admiringly.

Ichigo decided he didn't want to know why he was considered a "fine specimen". Instead, he opted for safer grounds. "Why the _hell_ did you call it 'Operation Milk Carton' when you didn't even _use_ a milk carton?"

Skulker frowned. "True. I did only use that unique stuffed bear. You're still holding it?"

It was only then that Ichigo noticed that he was still holding Kon in one hand, who was being squashed against the flag post.

"I must note this down," Skulker muttered, punching something into his arm. "The orange child has extraordinary mental capacity in addition to a fine physical body…"

Ichigo looked aghast. "What do you mean by a fine physical body?"

He didn't hear the giggles and squeals from the girls in the classrooms. He also didn't notice that they were taking cell phone pictures of the once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch Kurosaki Ichigo in only his boxers.

Skulker ignored Ichigo's question, instead just smugly saying, "I, Skulker, have now successfully captured the rare half-ghost. The whelp can no longer claim that I am a pitiful excuse for a hunter."

"_He_ might not but I still say you really stink!" Ichigo shouted, waving the hand that had Kon in it. He didn't process the muffled protests the mod soul gave. "Who names a hunting operation after a _milk carton_?"

"It was more the principle than anything else," Skulker said dismissively.

"What is _that_—"

"Oy!" The two turned their heads to see Uryuu leaning out of a window. "Skulker! I don't know about you but this isn't lying low!"

Ichigo then noticed the dozens of other eyes looking out. He groaned and smashed Kon to his face, too embarrassed to care that it was a living being he was using to hide his blush. There was a thunderstorm brewing over that same living being.

"He asked me to check the area out and I did!" Skulker protested. "I proved that this school is highly lacking in security."

"Ichigo is in no danger," Uryuu pointed out. "If you're so concerned about school safety, go check out the place where he is." He smirked. "Unless you're scared."

Skulker huffed, choosing not to comment. "Fine. I'll be off now." He flew over to Ichigo to whisper, "This isn't over, orange child."

Ichigo moved Kon over so that he could give the ghost his patented glare. "Noted. And tell that purple-backed gorilla of yours that I have an appointment with you."

Skulker harrumphed and vanished, presumably turning invisible.

Ichigo remained hanging for about half a minute before realizing that the ghost had failed to let him down. "Argh! I'm gonna _kill_ him!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the entrance of Karakura High in clear sight of the flag pole…**

"Do you know who's responsible for this?" the unhappy vice-principal asked.

The principal was having a hard time containing his chortles. "Not a clue. But it's the best thing that's happened to this school in a long time."

The vice-principal sighed and told the secretary, "Get someone to take Kurosaki down before he decides to sue us."

* * *

It had taken about half an hour of heavy debating and much gawking before anybody thought to bring the flag – and thus Ichigo – down the old-fashioned way. By then, Ichigo was cranky, dizzy from the blood rush to his brain, and completely mortified – but not necessarily in that order.

Once back on his rather unsteady feet, Ichigo had been given a bathrobe and was touted off to the nurse's office where he was given a full check up. His dizzy state didn't help matters so he was forced to endure another half an hour of torture before he was given new clothes. By then, his friends had arrived as the school day was over.

None of them seemed to know how to act other than to fidget or smirk. Keigo looked like he would have done something stupid if it were not for the death glare Ichigo shot him upon his entrance. Uryuu was the one doing the smirking, which he'd been doing after handing Ichigo back his substitute shinigami badge which he'd retrieved from the site of the broken window. Orihime seemed equally – if not more – mortified than Ichigo. Chad and Mizuiro were stoic and were giving Ichigo the silent support that he needed.

Finally, after a lengthy silence, Orihime finally spoke. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun." She nervously twirled a strand of hair.

Ichigo seemed surprised. "What are you apologizing for?"

"I should've tried to stop you," Orihime offered meekly.

"Nah." Ichigo shrugged. "It was my fault for falling for something so stupid."

"What's up with the toy?" Keigo asked, deeming it safe enough to inquire about.

Ichigo shot the very still Kon a glare. "The reason I got into that mess." He didn't miss the evil eye the stuffed bear gave him.

"Who was that high-tech robot?" Mizuiro wondered.

Ichigo, Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad shot each other glances.

"No one important?" Ichigo offered, although it sounded more like a question. He was really wishing for a kikanshinki by now. It would save him these pesky questions. If only his badge would have a useful feature like that.

Uryuu suppressed an aggravated sigh and helpfully added, "He's a high tech robot a friend of ours was trying out. Unfortunately, it malfunctioned as you obviously saw."

"What was it supposed to be doing?"

"Scouting for things to do," Uryuu made up. "But it apparently decided to play an elaborate prank."

"Why Ichigo?" Keigo scratched his head. "He's not the kind to take these things lightly!"

"He was just the guy that happened to see the toy." Uryuu shot Ichigo a glance that spoke worlds. '_You owe me for this, Kurosaki._'

Ichigo acknowledged the look with a raised brow. '_Thanks, Ishida._'

"The pics from that prank are already up on the Internet and the video is up on YouTube," Mizuiro said, looking up from his ever-present phone "It's already got over five thousand views."

Ichigo groaned, resting his face in his hands. "Just what I need."

"I just don't think it's fair." Keigo pouted, garnering strange looks from Ichigo's more sensible minded friends. "Ichigo's going to get all the girls now."

Ichigo looked up, shooting daggers at Keigo, who didn't notice. Ichigo didn't get the chance to say anything either as his badge went off, causing flinches from his three spiritually aware friends and a foot high jump from Kon – which thankfully went unnoticed. He was by now so used to it that he didn't react other than look down at it.

"Huh? You guys hear that sound?" Keigo looked around curiously.

"Oh no!" Orihime violently shook her head, giving Uryuu a mouthful of her hair.

"Absolutely nothing," Uryuu said, cleaning his mouth out. He liked Orihime but it didn't mean he liked having her hair in his mouth.

"It's a cat," Chad said simply.

"And I've gotta go to the bathroom!" Ichigo sprang up and was gone in the next second, weeks of practice letting him breeze by unnoticed.

Mizuiro appeared thoughtful. "It's gone."

At that, Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad shared worried glances. It seemed that Ichigo's substitute shinigami status wouldn't go unnoticed for much longer at this rate.

* * *

'_Someone kill me now,_' the two taichous thought simultaneously.

They were in Karakura Town. Or to be more specific, in a mall.

"Tell me again why we're in a mall?" Hitsugaya asked, staring into a show window filled with mannequins. Goodness, was that a _bra_?

"I told you already, didn't I, taichou?" Soifon's subordinate said. "According to what I've read, mortal teens love hanging out in malls. Our targets should be here."

"There's a reason I picked Shinobu to come," Soifon said. She shot a glare at a man who had the unfortunate luck of bumping into her before she continued, "She knows the most about the living world."

"Thanks, Soifon-taichou!" Shinobu beamed at the impassive woman. She was a slim petite girl only a foot taller than Hitsugaya. Her black hair was cropped short but resembled Soifon's without the braids.

'_I really hope Fantomu isn't here._' Hitsugaya rubbed the side of his neck in a mixture of irritation and worry.

"So how does the kid look again?" Shinobu turned from what she had been doing before, which was peering into a shop called Victoria's Secret.

"Blinding white hair, green eyes, and a skin-tight black and white suit," Soifon explained.

"Somehow I don't think Fantomu will be walking around here in that kind of a getup," Hitsugaya offhandedly remarked. He was now wondering what kind of a secret this Victoria had.

Judging from Byakuya's impassive expression, so was he.

Soifon growled under her breath. "You two are the only people here who even know how Fantomu and his friends look. If my description of him is inaccurate, I expect you to step up and correct it."

Hitsugaya shrugged and tugged at his shirt collar. It was an aquamarine color fit to match his eyes; it had four buttons at the top, two of which were unbuttoned. "We haven't seen Fantomu's human form – assuming he has one." '_He probably __**does**__, considering that Kurosaki knows him._'

Byakuya's eyes flickered over to the white-haired boy (because he _was_ a boy, no matter what he insisted) and wondered at what Hitsugaya was playing at because he himself knew that Kurosaki was familiar with Fantomu. Upon catching the irritated look in Hitsugaya's eyes, though, he wrote it off as dislike for Soifon.

But there was no reason for him to elaborate further or correct Hitsugaya so he remained silent, disapproval crossing his face as he watched two girls leave a barber store with strange hairstyles. What strange fashions these mortals had…

"And what of his friends?" Soifon demanded, not happy with the little Hitsugaya had said. "Sam and Tucker, right?"

Hitsugaya exhaled gustily. "The girl is fond of black. She wears black and purple clothes and has black hair. The boy is dark skinned and wears glasses. He also has a hat."

"That's pretty straightforward then!" Shinobu said, grinning slyly. "We'll just have to keep an eye out for those two and whoever's with them is probably the half-ghost."

Funnily enough, Hitsugaya and Byakuya both caught sight of three teenagers by a fountain in the middle of something called the "food court". Despite the changes in clothes, eye color, hair, and the unknown appearance of the third person, they guessed that these teenagers were Sam, Tucker, and Fantomu.

'_The third person is probably Fantomu,_' Hitsugaya thought, carefully keeping his eyes away from the fountain. '_Besides the hair and eye color, he doesn't look much different from his ghost half._'

Byakuya was steadily focusing on ignoring them.

Knowing that it wouldn't take his companions long to notice the three, Hitsugaya quickly scanned the area for a distraction. He found one in an ice cream store that was out of sight of the fountain.

Perfect…

"That must be the confection Matsumoto was talking about," Hitsugaya remarked offhandedly, maneuvering his way over there.

"Ice cream, you mean?" Shinobu asked, seeing where Hitsugaya was going. "_You_ want _ice cream_?" She sounded incredulous. From what she'd heard, Hitsugaya wasn't the type to want ice cream…or anything sweet and childlike.

Byakuya remained silent but followed his fellow taichou much to the disconcertment of the two women.

'_I didn't know Kuchiki had a sweet tooth,_' Soifon thought, scratching her head in bemusement.

"I guess it couldn't hurt if we had some," Shinobu muttered. "I've wanted to try that, too…"

After her subordinate's departure, Soifon stood there for a long moment before finally following her companions to the ice cream store. A little treat _couldn't_ hurt after all…

Hitsugaya sighed in relief, fogging the glass of the ice cream bar as he did so. It looked like his distraction had worked without anybody suspecting anything. Byakuya was thinking along the same lines, although he was silently thanking Hitsugaya for creating the perfect opportunity to sidle away without noticing anything.

* * *

As Ichigo set foot in mid-air, looking for the hollow that had set his badge off, he was hardpressed to keep his footing as he was buffeted by strong winds and harsh rain that definitely hadn't been there a scant few hours before.

"What the—" Ichigo coughed as a mouthful of rain made its way down the wrong pipe. '_This is freakin' unusual!_'

Squinting, Ichigo tried to see if he could find the hollow. He shielded his eyes with an arm, seeing a huge dark shape before him. Suddenly, he realized that he was being shielded from the worst of the rain and some of the wind. And the only that would be possible was if the hollow he was looking for was _right_ before him.

Ichigo whipped out Zangetsu and shunpoed backwards, his guard up. The weather cleared up a bit then, revealing the large hollow that had discreetly snuck up on him.

"The _hell_?" Ichigo gaped at the strange being before him. "What the hell _are_ you?"

Because it was still relatively dark due to the mass of clouds overhead, Ichigo couldn't be sure of the exact colors the hollow was. What he could tell was that it seemed to be green, clothed in black, and had a jagged lopsided V-shaped orangish lightning bolt dashed across the chest.

Wheezy laughter answered his incredulous question. "Mortal! I"—there was a wheezy gasp—"am Vortex."

Looking at the upside down tornado that consisted of the monster's lower half, Ichigo could understand how it had gotten the name. Yet the only clever remark that came to his mind was: "You sure it isn't Asthmatic?"

It took him a few seconds to realize what he had said. Okay, if he'd come up with a reply like that he'd clearly been spending too much time with Danny…

Vortex didn't seem pleased at all with Ichigo's witty comeback. "You shall"—he inhaled in a raspy manner—"_die_."

'_Great. I pissed him off._' Ichigo tensed, waiting for the imminent attack.

Vortex raised a clawed hand towards the heavens; a jagged lightning bolt flashed behind it, nearly blinding Ichigo.

"Ow!" Ichigo clenched his eyes shut, defensively raising an arm. The second flash of light that seared through his eyelids and the smell of burning air were all the warnings he received as Vortex attacked him. Instinctively, Ichigo shunpoed directly behind his opponent, dodging the bolt of lightning that fried the flag post he had been hanging off of earlier. Now _that_ was karma.

Quickly, before Vortex could react, Ichigo swung his zanpakutou. "_Getsuga tenshou_!"

The blue attack streaked through the air towards Vortex. It hit the monster dead on, but instead of cutting through, it harmlessly went through the monster. Ichigo's eyes widened and he almost didn't see the large hand striking him from the side. He dodged enough that it was simply a glancing blow that knocked him clear across the sky.

"Argh!" Ichigo floundered for a moment before regaining his footing. He couldn't stay still for long as Vortex attacked him again. The strike would've hit him if it weren't for a faint glow surrounding the being's entire body. That strange feature immediately put Ichigo's mind on alert as he knew hollows didn't glow. '_With that in addition to the weird weather controlling powers, does that mean Vortex is a __**ghost**__?_'

Ichigo squinted again, trying to make out any more identifying features that would help him identify the species Vortex belonged to. Unfortunately for him, the rain and near dark caused by the black clouds Vortex was generating prevented him from noting down anything substantial.

"Rrgh!" Ichigo dove to the side as Vortex swiped the spot he had been in a split second before. He slid to the side and shunpoed by Vortex's head, unleashing a point blank _getsuga tenshou_. This time it made contact and knocked the monster's head aside, causing him to release a growl of pain. The brief flash of light let Ichigo see red eyes covered in what seemed to be a black mask that jutted out at the edges.

He couldn't dwell on it long as Vortex shrieked, "Die, puny mortal!" Vortex inhaled gustily and blew out a torrent of freezing cold air that hit Ichigo dead on.

"Oof!" Ichigo was knocked flat on his back by the onslaught and was unable to right his posture. Deeming that a lost cause, Ichigo turned around onto his stomach, got a foothold, and ran off, nimbly dodging the next freezing blast of cold air Vortex shot his way. '_Crap, crap, crap, __**crap**__! What do I do?_'

Contrary to public opinion, Ichigo was not the over-confident jerk many thought him to be. He was well aware of his limits; he just didn't advertise them for his enemies to take advantage of. And if Vortex was a ghost, he knew that he was highly outclassed here. Especially in his shikai form.

'_No choice but to go for it_.' Ichigo shot a glance over his shoulder to see Vortex swipe a hand at him. Biting back an explicit curse, he vanished from the monster's sight, mentally preparing himself to release the next stage of Zangetsu.

When Ichigo didn't immediately reappear, Vortex momentarily stopped his assault to try and find his opponent. He was saved from the effort by a large pressure of reiatsu and blue light from behind him.

"_Bankai_!" The blue light of Ichigo's reiryoku vanished to reveal the orange-haired teenager in a frayed ankle-length black coat that was red on the underside. Zangetsu was now a normal sized black zanpakutou with a cut off chain at the end of the hilt.

"Oh?" Vortex was surprised to see the change in Ichigo's attire. In his experience, people didn't just change outfits in the middle of the battle. Technus was one thing but this shrimp-sized teenager was another. In another instant, the teenager vanished.

The substitute shinigami shunpoed so quickly that Vortex had no time to defend himself from the powerful strike against his torso. It ripped a deep gash into his chest and chopped something white off that Ichigo's sharp eyes instantly noticed.

'_That's a!_' Ichigo's eyes flicked from the white remnant to the rest of the jawbone that was under Vortex's chin. Then his eyes drifted further down to see the huge hole that rested smack dab in the middle of the chest…directly where his failed _getsuga tenshou_ had gone through earlier. '_He's a __**hollow**__!_'

His momentary shock cost him since Vortex used the opportunity to smack him in the side and knock him down into a building. "Stay"—there was a wheezy gasp—"_alert_, boy!"

Pushing himself to his feet, Ichigo growled. He couldn't be sure but he thought he was over the mall complex of Karakura Town. If that was the case, then he had to get rid of Vortex fast before they caused much more damage. Even if the normal humans couldn't see them, it didn't mean that they couldn't cause damage.

He was broken out of these thoughts by Vortex's oncoming fist. Reacting quickly, Ichigo brought Zangetsu up to block it, grunting with effort as he found himself being pushed down.

Eyes burning with energy, Ichigo gave a loud yell and flung Vortex back with a backlash of reiryoku. Pressing his advantage, he used his bankai's super speed and shunpoed to Vortex and swiped with Zangetsu again, carving out a chunk of the hollow's outfit. In doing so he also dealt a shallow wound that immediately bled green.

'_What the—?_' Ichigo's eyes widened at the sight. He looked down to see the green blood drip down to the ground and stain the parking lot green. '_Hollows don't bleed green!_'

Although he was distracted, he remembered enough from his last mistake to have his guard up, enabling his dodging of Vortex's attack – a lightning bolt – when it came.

Despite his better judgment, Ichigo unleashed his signature attack. "_Getsuga tenshou_!" On cue, a black and red version of his normally blue _getsuga tenshou_ flew out from his zanpakutou's blade. Knowing that even his bankai-enhanced _getsuga tenshou_ wouldn't be enough against Vortex, Ichigo shunpoed under the ghost/hollow – he was no longer sure which – and unleashed another.

Both of them hit the enormous monster directly, causing loud howls of pain and anger. While Ichigo would normally be gratified at such results, he was sufficiently distracted by something that he had half-expected.

Familiar high-pitched cackling filled his mind and he tried to push his inner hollow back, clutching a hand to his left temple. The black sclera that characterized his inner hollow's eye began to creep in to cover his left eye.

'_No… Get back!_'

* * *

"You having fun yet, Danny?" Tucker asked cheerfully, peering at his familiar yet unfamiliar reflection in the fountain water.

They were right now in the middle of the food court of the mall in Karakura Town.

"Hard not to with you guys dragging me to the mall right after doing the little homework we had," Danny responded dryly.

"It was time we get out and see something of Japan," Sam said, poking Danny playfully in the shoulder. "Even if this isn't actually our dimension, it's a different culture we should get used to."

"A culture with a completely different language and written system we can actually understand," Danny pointed out. "How did _that_ happen?"

Sam frowned, thoughtfully twisting the ring she now had on her left hand. "That's a good cause for debate," she finally admitted. "Maybe something in that cero screwed with our brain neurons so that we can understand Japanese."

"Joy," Tucker muttered, not looking pleased with that.

"Do you think it's permanent?" Danny was now mentally exploring the possibilities this opened to him.

"Only way to find out is by going home, opening a Japanese website, and seeing if we can understand what's written there," Sam said matter-of-factly.

Danny rolled his eyes at her dry wit but smiled. Despite their rather dire predicament in an unfriendly dimension filled with hollows and shinigamis hell-bent – no pun intended – on their hides, he was happy. There was only one dark spot on his horizon. "_How_ will we get back?"

"Urahara's working on that," Sam said, scrutinizing a dyed strand of her hair. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, she tucked it behind her ear and continued, "He's thinking about recreating the events."

"But that runs the risk of killing us and not sending us back at all," Tucker pointed out, plopping himself down on a nearby chair in the food court they were in. "He's still figuring out the finer details of the whole thing."

"I hope he figures it out fast," Danny murmured, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't particularly want to get stuck in the middle of a war between this Aizen guy and Soul Society."

"But from that Nai Samurai ghost you fought here, it might already have started," Tucker said. "You said he had a master, right?"

"And the guy has business both here and in our world." Danny sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. "Even in a completely different dimension, we just can't catch a break, can we?"

"Nope," Sam said semi-cheerfully. "That would be defying fate. But come on, Danny, try and relax. We're in the middle of the mall and we didn't come here to mope about our luck – or lack of it."

Danny snorted. "_Lack_ of it is right. I'm beginning to think we won't ever—" He was cut off by a bunch of coughs that let out billowy wisps of blue air. Shivering and wincing, he rubbed his throat. "C-c-cold…"

Sam and Tucker were alarmed at the uncharacteristic showing of Danny's ghost sense.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tucker looked around warily, half-expecting something to jump out and yell "boo".

"I—" Danny coughed some more, releasing some more pent up cold air. "I don't know," he managed to say. "It's like with the Menos Grande…but it feels different."

"You're going to leave it to Ichigo, right?" Sam had a hand around his arm.

"Yeah, Sam. I wasn't planning on running out to engage an unknown ghost or spirit."

Lights flickered in the mall, eliciting alarm from the mall-goers around the three teenagers. The unusual occurrence was accompanied by a loud and prolonged rumble of thunder that shook the furniture and could be felt in the ground.

"I didn't know it was supposed to storm today," Danny muttered, his brow furrowed in thought. Realization dawned on his face as he connected the pieces.

Sam followed his train of thought just as quickly. She also understood what her new boyfriend was going to do next. "No, Danny!" She grabbed him by the shirt. Her cry was accentuated by another threatening rumble of thunder that was synched with another two second blackout.

Danny didn't move, even though he was fully capable of phasing out from her grip. "Sam. It's Vortex."

"It's not your job!" she argued, changing her grip for holding his arm.

"It's a _ghost_, Sam. That kind of makes it my job!"

"Not here, Danny," Sam pleaded. "Don't you remember what Urahara said?"

Danny did. _"Even if it's a ghost don't go. Soul Society will use that to their advantage. Ichigo's strong enough to take care of them."_

He swallowed thickly. "But…"

"No buts, Danny," Tucker said, holding Danny's other arm. "Trust that Ichigo can take care of Vortex."

"_I_ had trouble with Vortex! And Ichigo couldn't deal with the Box Ghost!"

"Shhh!" Sam and Tucker hushed his rather loud words.

"They're too scared to notice!" Danny hissed, his eyes flashing green.

It was true. Any potential witnesses to the argument between the friends were too scared of the unexpected storm to pay attention to three inconsequential high schoolers.

"Besides, Danny," Sam went on, keeping her voice low, "Ichigo's aware of the power gaps between ghosts and hollows. He won't be taken by surprise like back then."

"What about my ghost sense? Wasn't that a bit – I don't know – _unusual_?"

"Everything's been off here, Danny," Tucker said. "I think it can be expected."

Danny looked decidedly unconvinced and was ready to phase out of his friends' grips when he caught sight of three people that he recognized from his short but too unpleasant stint in Soul Society. Byakuya, Hitsugaya, Soifon, and an unknown fourth person were dashing through the crowd, each looking determined.

He quickly snatched his eyes off them before his friends followed his errant gaze. Knowing that they hadn't seen anything, Danny opted to keep his mouth shut lest they start worrying again.

"Danny?" Sam prompted, not recognizing the emotions and thoughts flashing across her boyfriend's face.

'_I hope I don't regret this._' The half-ghost swallowed again, meeting his girlfriend's amethyst eyes. "All right."

Danny only had time to catch sight of his friends' relieved faces before the entire building shook, shaking loose dust from the ceiling. This was accompanied by another blackout that didn't end.

'_Scratch that – I __**really**__ hope I don't regret this._'

* * *

Meanwhile, outside in the raging rain and howling winds, Ichigo had just been thrown into the roof of the mall for the second time. His inner hollow's persistent interference had effectively paralyzed him from doing anything against Vortex. Luckily for him, though, it didn't stop him from rolling enough to dodge the powerful bluish-white lightning bolt that followed.

He could feel the building rumble under his body under the onslaught. Breathing harshly, Ichigo pulled on his hair, mentally struggling against the invasive presence that sought to control his body. The vision in his left eye was already fading out to look into his inner world, the world where he could see his inner hollow smirking at him from his standpoint on a sideways skyscraper.

"_Damn it!_" Ichigo mentally growled at his inner hollow. "_Keep this up and we'll both get killed!_"

He only received insane laughter as his response. "_You know we can win if you let me fight!_"

"_Like hell!_" Ichigo vehemently replied. He flinched as his head throbbed violently. "_Stop it!_"

His already diverted attention was caught by a stream of pink that attacked Vortex. A small childish figure appeared in front of him, back facing Ichigo.

"Kurosaki…" It was Hitsugaya. "Leave the hollow to us."

"Considering you're having trouble standing," Byakuya added, appearing slightly above the other taichou. It had been his Senbonzakura that had fended off Vortex from attacking Ichigo again.

Ichigo shot Byakuya a small glare, slightly offended at the insinuation. The voice of his inner hollow had quieted a bit by now so he didn't bite back immediately. "Thanks for the save," he finally said.

"Why are you chatting with Kurosaki with an enormous hollow here?" Soifon appeared next to Byakuya, sealed zanpakutou in hand. "Hey, Shinobu!"

Ichigo was mildly surprised to see what looked like a mini-Soifon appear. "Yes, taichou?"

"Stay back and watch Kurosaki."

Shinobu looked aghast. "But…"

"Hey! I don't need a babysitter!" Ichigo protested.

"Your appearance suggests otherwise," Soifon said, not even glancing at him. "Just stay quiet and we won't have any issues."

Ichigo fumed but said nothing. A rather downcast Shinobu shunpoed to him, zanpakutou in hand. She gave him a cursory onceover, knowing that this was the infamous Kurosaki Ichigo who had broken into Soul Society. He did look rather bedraggled but it seemed like he could still fight.

Her eyes met his, looked away, and then snapped back. Hadn't his left eye been slightly black?

"Something wrong?" Ichigo asked, noticing her slightly disconcerting stare.

"I just – your eye…" Shinobu frowned, waving a hand. "It's nothing."

"If you say so." Ichigo knew that it wasn't nothing. She had seen the last traces of his inner hollow. It was amazing that once his status as the cornered prey was gone how quickly the thing had backed off. It was over. For now…

"Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya shouted, unsealing his weapon with a loud cry. An ice dragon materialized around him, mouth open in a silent roar.

Soifon kept her zanpakutou sealed for the moment since she wanted the longer reach. Besides, unlike Byakuya's and Hitsugaya's weapons, her zanpakutou's effect only worked if it cut someone.

In the meantime, Ichigo and Shinobu watched as the three taichous attacked Vortex. Hitsugaya began battling Vortex for some control over the weather, as Hyourinmaru was an ice-type that could control it.

"More pests who"—Vortex wheezed—"came to save the first! Perish!" He exhaled a tornado of ice.

"Hyaah!" Hitsugaya was undeterred, retaliating with his own. His ice dragon hit Vortex's ice tornado and they both dissipated, cancelling out.

Byakuya shunpoed behind Vortex, a pink stream of petals flowing before him and curving into Vortex, following the guide of his hilt. It seemed to hit the ghost/hollow dead on…until the ghost/hollow turned into a bluish-white mist and let it flow through him towards Hitsugaya. Senbonzakura scattered before it hit him, surrounding Hitsugaya with its sharp petal-like blades.

"He turned intangible!" Hitsugaya exclaimed, surprised.

"Then he's a ghost after all?" Ichigo wondered out loud.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Soifon demanded from her spot next to Hitsugaya.

"You didn't give me the chance to!" Ichigo defended himself. "When did I have time to say anything? And besides"—he jabbed a finger towards Vortex—"does _that_ look like something a ghost has?"

Due to Hitsugaya working to clear the sky, Vortex was by now more visible than before, allowing the others to see what Ichigo meant.

Soifon could scarcely believe what she was seeing. "Is that…a _hollow_ mask?"

"What looks like one," Byakuya said, drawing Senbonzakura back to himself.

By now, Vortex was fed up with being ignored. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you"—he exhaled noisily—"it's rude to talk about people when they're right in front of you?" With a loud gasp, Vortex opened his mouth wide, a small red ball forming in it. He released in a second, aiming for Hitsugaya – and Ichigo and Shinobu who were behind him.

"Cero!" Ichigo was about to shunpo away when he saw that Shinobu had frozen in her place, a stunned look plastered all over her face. With a silent curse, he grabbed her as he disappeared from his spot, noting that Hitsugaya had already done so.

Ichigo reappeared next to the other shinigamis, releasing Shinobu. '_Intangibility and cero – both attacks that supposedly only ghosts and hollows have. What is going on here?_'

Suddenly, someone whacked him on the head. "Ow!" It was Shinobu. "What did you do that for?"

"For grabbing me!" Shinobu ground out. "I could've gotten away myself!"

"Errr…" Experience from Rukia had taught Ichigo to keep his mouth shut. '_You sure didn't look like you could've gotten away._'

"Quiet, you two!" Soifon snapped. Her zanpakutou was by now unsealed.

Shinobu snapped to attention. "Yes, taichou!" She jabbed Ichigo in the back with the hilt of her weapon, earning herself a glare.

Fortunately for her, Ichigo was unable to protest as Vortex fired another cero, separating them. Hitsugaya and Byakuya appeared behind Vortex's head; Ichigo and the other two were on the other side.

"What's the plan?" Ichigo asked Soifon, keeping two wary eyes on Vortex.

Soifon seemed to be biting at something in her mouth. "We don't know enough about it."

"His name is Vortex," Ichigo offered. "He seems to be asthmatic."

"And it isn't hindering him," Soifon said sharply. "We need to know his weaknesses. He's obviously not a hollow, even though our alerts gave him as one."

"Mine goes off around ghosts. It's not like yours is any different," Ichigo argued. "But that thing that looks like a jawbone is what worries me. And he's got a hole, too."

"Ghosts don't have holes?" Shinobu asked.

"Not from what I've seen. This is the first," Ichigo answered.

Their attention was caught by Byakuya attacking Vortex with Senbonzakura's petals. Vortex again turned intangible, letting the attack fly through him.

"Shouldn't he know by now that it's not gonna work?" Ichigo muttered.

Soifon smirked. "This probably should. Shinobu, watch and remember."

Both Ichigo and Shinobu looked at her, unsure of what she meant until they saw what Senbonzakura's petals had concealed from their view and deposited directly in Vortex's midriff: Hitsugaya Toushirou.

The young taichou's eyes were glowing as he released the full force of his zanpakutou's ice controlling powers, literally freezing Vortex from the inside out.

"But he's still intangible!" Ichigo gaped. "If Vortex turns tangible, Toushirou will be stuck!"

Although Hitsugaya was not around to fix his respect, someone else was.

"Hitsugaya-taichou!" Shinobu snapped, bonking Ichigo on the head.

"Ow!" Ichigo rubbed his head, scowling at her. "Whatever."

"He's freezing the air inside the monster. Even if he is intangible, frozen air will freeze him," Soifon explained. "That'll leave him open for capture and interrogation."

Ichigo looked skeptical. "Capture in _what_?"

Soifon growled and turned to snap at him. "You—"

A loud cry from Hitsugaya cut her off. "Argh!"

"Toushirou!" Ichigo stared in horror as Vortex's fully solid arm reached into his intangible chest to grab Hitsugaya. The ice covering his arm did not even seem to faze him.

With no effort at all, Vortex pulled the small taichou out of his chest and held him out as if one might with a moldy piece of bread. Understandably, Hitsugaya didn't seem happy about it.

Fully solid, Vortex sneered at him. "You"—wheeze—"pest. You shall"—gasp—"_die_."

Hitsugaya tilted his head back and roared, "Kuchiki!"

Before Vortex could do anything to permanently maim his hostage, Byakuya responded. Senbonzakura enveloped Vortex's hand, covering Hitsugaya as well.

"He's gonna get cut up!" Ichigo cried, alarmed.

"Of course he won't!" Soifon snapped.

"Kuchiki-taichou is very professional," Shinobu added.

" 'Professional' my ass," Ichigo muttered. "Then why doesn't he go bankai? Shikai obviously isn't enough."

"I suppose they'll have to," Soifon murmured.

As he watched Senbonzakura clear from Vortex's hand and deposit Hitsugaya elsewhere, Ichigo wondered, '_Doesn't she have bankai, too?_'

"Thanks, Kuchiki," Hitsugaya said to the black-haired man floating/standing by him.

Byakuya said nothing other than to tip his head forward. He held his hand out to the side, the blade of his zanpakutou reforming from numerous pink blades.

"Do you"—Vortex wheezed—"give up?"

"Hardly," Hitsugaya responded, holding his zanpakutou in both hands. "Bankai." In a bright swirl of light, ice wings formed around him and covered his shoulders, extending down his left arm to end in a claw. This trend continued to his feet, leaving him looking like a miniature dragon with a human torso and legs. "Daiguren Hyourinmaru."

Byakuya dropped Senbonzakura blade first. "Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." His zanpakutou gradually disappeared as it passed below his feet. Numerous larger blades appeared behind him, lining up in succession, only to scatter into millions of smaller infinitely sharp petals.

Vortex, instead of being scared, was highly amused. His wheezy laughs were proof of that. Or maybe he was choking. Ichigo couldn't be sure.

"The little dragon…" Vortex had to pause here to laugh some more. "…has become an awkward dragon!" He collapsed into more laughter; the weather cleared some more.

Ichigo's eye twitched. '_He probably thought that was incredibly witty._'

"Soifon!" Hitsugaya called. "Will your attack work on him?"

"Rrgh…" Soifon appeared to be sizing up Vortex's laughing form. "Probably not." She seemed to be reluctant to admit this.

"Taichou… Doesn't Suzumebachi kill?" Shinobu asked.

"Who knows what kind of an effect she'll have on a monster like this," Soifon said, clenching the hand Suzumebachi was on into a fist. "A ghost/hollow hybrid… Aizen has been busy."

"You mean this is _Aizen's_ handiwork?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"Who else would it be? He's the only one with the resources and the insane mind to pull to it off."

"I can think of two more," Ichigo muttered, a laughing Urahara cutting soul chains left and right and a madly grinning Kurotsuchi holding a surgical knife popping into his head.

"Regardless, we want to capture, not kill," Soifon continued. "Kuchiki and Hitsugaya are the only two here with zanpakutous capable of that. Shinobu and I are back up in case the situation goes south."

'_What am I – chopped liver?_' Ichigo swallowed that comment to ask another. "Will they?"

"They won't, Kurosaki," Soifon said sharply. "You should know that our taichous aren't easy to take down."

"Hnh." Ichigo left it at that, already getting glares from Shinobu. '_That girl has issues. Being around Soifon can't help._'

"More petals," Vortex jeered at Byakuya. He blew a gusty gale, scattering most of Senbonzakura.

"They are not petals," Byakuya said calmly but with a hint of steel in his tone, stonily staring down Vortex. "They are blades."

'_For him, that's practically like shouting,_' Ichigo thought warily, knowing that Vortex was in for some pain now.

Byakuya moved his arm, Senbonzakura following his movements. Its "petals" surrounded Vortex in a huge ball.

"_Goukei_." Byakuya closed his hand into a fist and the ball collapsed in on itself.

'_Whoa._' Ichigo thought back to his own match. '_Did he use that then?_'

"Did it work?" Shinobu asked.

Ichigo was getting a tingly feeling down his back and it wasn't because of the rain, wind, and lightning.

"Nothing can escape from that," Byakuya said with finality.

The dramatic effect of the wind whipping his clothes as he said that was ruined by Vortex's voice, which seemed to have changed: "Nothing physical, that is." There was no hint of wheezing and there was an undertone that hadn't been there before. "And I am not physical."

The ghost/hollow appeared before them, smashing through the remnants of Senbonzakura's ball. His hands, normally clawed, seemed to have become even more so and his red eyes had turned yellow. Without warning, his right hand snatched out and grabbed Byakuya.

"Urk." Byakuya was having trouble breathing. Senbonzakura fluttered uselessly around him.

"Kuchiki!" Hitsugaya shouted in alarm. He made a movement with his zanpakutou that was abruptly cut off by Vortex grabbing him with an arm that seemed to be more air than physical substance. And it wasn't even his actual arm; it was a third that had come out of his hollow hole.

"What. The. _Hell_?" Ichigo said eloquently.

"Taichou!" Shinobu screamed.

"Which one? They're both in danger!" Ichigo snapped.

"Quiet!" Soifon ordered. "This is no time to argue!" Then she disappeared.

"What is _she_ going to do that they haven't?" Ichigo whispered fiercely to Shinobu.

"She's Soifon-taichou!" Shinobu whispered back just as fiercely.

"That—" Ichigo started, breaking off when something glinted silver in the dim light. A flash of lightning silhouetted it in contrast. '_A thermos!_'

He couldn't see Danny anywhere but knew that the half-ghost must be invisible. Silently thanking him, Ichigo quickly shunpoed.

Since Shinobu had not seen the thermos, she was surprised when he vanished. "Kurosaki?"

Vortex noticed nothing, utterly absorbed in crushing the two shinigamis he had in his grasp. "You pests have irritated me long enough!" he growled menacingly. "_Die_."

Knowing he didn't have much time left and not seeing Soifon anywhere ('_Where the hell is she?_'), Ichigo grabbed the thermos out of midair. Remembering how Danny had used it, he uncapped it and pressed the button. The moment he did, a bluish-white light emerged and jetted out towards Vortex. Belatedly, he realized that if shinigamis were also made of the same ectoplasm as ghosts and hollows, then he might also suck up Hitsugaya and Byakuya. Wouldn't that be a problem?

…Nah. He'd just ask Danny how to let them out.

"What?" For a moment Vortex sounded like normal. "No! You can't have that infernal thermos!" The ghostly arm holding Hitsugaya let go of the taichou to try and block the thermos's suctioning power. The only thing he succeeded in doing was sucking the arm in and extending it to its limit.

"Kuchiki!" Hitsugaya shouted, sounding rather breathless.

"I know!" Ichigo assumed he was talking about Byakuya.

"I got it!" Out of nowhere, Soifon flashed in, landing a powerful kick on Vortex's hand that released Byakuya. She immediately took him by the arm and shunpoed away.

By now, the thermos was vibrating furiously in Ichigo's hands. More than half of Vortex had been sucked and the ghost/hollow was still struggling fiercely.

With a whoosh of air that whipped his cloak forward, Ichigo felt a small drain of energy. At the same time, the light of the thermos flared and the shaking stopped.

With a final wail of anguish, Vortex disappeared entirely into the thermos. Hurriedly, Ichigo capped it. With that, the sky instantly cleared, allowing the shinigamis to see what damage had been wrought by Vortex's weather controlling powers. Power lines had been downed, some smaller buildings had been reduced to rubble, and cars were lying in several feet of water. Many of them were in places cars had never been, like piercing the top of the mall's name.

And yet…Ichigo had a feeling that ghosts could do much worse.

"Kurosaki…" Looking rather worse for the wear and completely drenched, Hitsugaya popped up next to him. "That's Fantomu's, isn't it?"

'_Lie._' Ichigo rested Zangetsu on his shoulder and held the thermos up. "Nope. It's mine." His dead blank poker face gave nothing away.

Soifon appeared, too, sealed zanpakutou in its place at her back. She was supporting a rather shaky Byakuya, although upon seeing Ichigo he pulled away to stand on his own. Senbonzakura rematerialized in its zanpakutou form next to him and he grasped the hilt, inserting it into its hilt.

The female taichou looked extremely skeptical but glanced at Byakuya and Hitsugaya to confirm Ichigo's story, as they were the only two who had been around Fantomu.

Neither said anything.

From memory, both Hitsugaya and Byakuya knew that the thermos Ichigo had belonged to Fantomu. However, since neither wanted anything to happen to the half-ghost they opted to keep quiet. The only question that ran through their heads that directly concerned each other was, '_Why isn't he saying anything?_'

Since Ichigo could remember that Hitsugaya and Byakuya had been there the entire time with Danny and knew how the thermos looked, he couldn't his luck that they had swallowed his lie like that.

"Why didn't you wait for me after I expressly told you to do so?" Soifon demanded angrily, finally speaking.

"No, you didn't. You just told us to be quiet and to not argue," Ichigo responded promptly. "There was nothing in the package with us not doing anything. Besides"—he raised an eyebrow—"I didn't see _you_ doing anything."

Soifon flushed. "I was preparing!"

Shinobu hastily rescued her idol. "If you had that soup canister the entire time, why didn't you use it in the first place?"

"I was going to but then you guys showed up. You wanted to 'capture and interrogate' the ghost so I left it up to you," Ichigo fibbed quickly.

"That said," Soifon said, recovering her pride, "hand it over." She held a hand out.

Ichigo folded his arms, tucking the thermos into them. "No way. This thing is mine. Who knows what you'd do to the poor innocent Vortex."

Hitsugaya gave him an odd look; his zanpakutou had been sealed again. "Interrogate him."

Belatedly, Ichigo realized what he'd said. '_Oh God. I've **really** been hanging around Danny too much._' He cleared his throat. "Still, it's mine. I caught him. Find your own."

Hitsugaya gave a cough that sounded oddly like a laugh before straightening himself out as Soifon looked at _him_ oddly. "In any case," he said primly, "we have to make our report. Thank you for your help, Kurosaki."

"Sure thing, Toushirou," Ichigo said, raising a hand in farewell.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," Hitsugaya corrected, although his tone lacked the usual reprimand.

"We'll see you then, Kurosaki," Soifon said. "Report to us if you see Fantomu or his friends."

Ichigo gave a dismissive noise and watched as they shunpoed away. Only then did his impassive face drop. He turned to face behind him, not sure if the half-ghost that had helped them was still there. "Thanks…Phantom."

* * *

His friends were waiting for him in the school, as they hadn't been allowed to leave during the freak weather caused by Vortex. Ichigo met them in the janitor's closet as that had been the only place he could stash his body without too many questions.

The closet they were in was pitch black save for the handy pocket light Uryuu had on his person. The whole of Karakura Town was in the middle of a power outage thanks to the power lines Vortex had downed and it was unclear as to when the electricity would come back on.

"Why are these closets always unlocked?" Uryuu asked, moving aside a mop so he could lean against the wall.

"No idea. Convenient, though," Ichigo answered, rubbing his now very mortal neck. "When are we allowed to leave?"

"As soon as they say," Orihime said. "Was the weather caused by that hollow you fought?"

"A ghost-hollow combination according to Soifon," Ichigo said. He held out the thermos. "Luckily, someone handed this to me. Otherwise I don't know what we would've done."

"You saw Shikyo?" Uryuu asked as Chad said, "There were other shinigamis there?"

"In order – no, I didn't and Byakuya, Toushirou, Soifon, and a girl called Shinobu."

"And you still had trouble with the ghost?" Uryuu sounded disbelieving.

"Ghost-hollow," Ichigo corrected immediately. "And Vortex wasn't easy to take down," he said defensively. "He kept wheezing like an asthmatic but he could fight."

Uryuu looked at the thermos Ichigo had in his hand. "And you caught him in that soup canister."

"Don't diss the soup canister. This thing can hold quite a few gillians, too." Ichigo held it in both hands.

"Good God. Your sense of humor has become even worse," Uryuu commented.

"Danny's been rubbing off on me," Ichigo admitted. "Anyway…" He waved a dismissive hand. "I think we still have a problem. Since ghosts are visible to regular people and Vortex was one, even if only partly, that means some people must have seen _some_thing. The question is: What do we do about it?"

Uryuu shrugged. "To be honest, not anything. Soul Society never gave you anything to erase memories so it's not your problem. If anything needs to be done, they'll be the ones to take care of it."

Orihime worried her lip. "What about this afternoon?"

"Everyone thinks Skulker is an extremely high-tech robot," Chad said.

"Luckily," Ichigo muttered, still wanting to kill or maim the ghost.

"Don't worry about it," Uryuu said, pushing off from the wall. He pressed a hand to the door. "If that's everything, I'll go check to see if we can go home now."

Ichigo waited until his friends left before collapsing on a bucket of paint that had never been opened. The janitor's closet was lighted by the sunlight filtering into the hallway; the light half-lit his figure. The thermos rested between his feet; his face was in his hands.

'_I can still hear him laughing._' His hands moved to clutch his head.

"Not pleasant, eh?" The new nasally voice made him jump. "Relax. It's just me."

That didn't make Ichigo feel any better. "Shinji."

"Aw. What's with that look on your face? I don't have something on my face, do I?"

Ichigo grabbed the thermos and stood, facing Shinji. "What do you want?"

Shinji put a hand on the doorframe, blocking the way out and casting his face in shadow. "You entering the Vizards."

"Get lost."

"No can do, Ichigo," Shinji said, wagging a reprimanding finger in his face and thereby freeing the doorway. "You're one of us, whether you like it or not. It's time you accept it."

Ichigo took advantage of the open space to push past Shinji. "For the last time, no thanks. Just get lost."

He started walking down the hall to the exit.

"What do you think will happen next time?"

He stopped.

"It's not going to stop simply because you want it to."

His hand tightened around the thermos.

"You might say no now but you'll be singing a different tune next time when you're unable to protect your friends. It was just you this time but next time?" Footsteps echoed in the hallway and stopped when Shinji whispered directly into Ichigo's ear. "You'll destroy everything around you."

Ichigo swallowed thickly, his eyes closed. When he finally opened them again, they had a steely resolution in their brown depths. "Bye."

This time, he didn't stop. He could feel Shinji's gaze penetrating his back but didn't stop. He didn't stop even when reaching the area where his friends were, instead quietly slipping by them.

The air outside nipped at his cheeks and nose, echoing the hollowness he felt inside. '_I'll deal with it myself. I have to._'

* * *

**OMAKE!**

**By now, you guys have probably found out that it was Shinji who was missing when I introduced Zennosuke. See, in this world, Zennosuke was introduced _without_ Shinji but the same thing still happened: Ichigo beat a hollow; Zennosuke found him; and yada yada... The joke with Skulker and Ichigo was all _SpartanCommander_ so send him some love. :) Thanks again!  
**

**So...how was the chapter? Did you like it? Love it? Hate it? Leave a note and let me know! I hope you like Hakaisha Tasekai and can picture him pretty well. The next chapter hasn't been started, although the outline is ready. It should be easier to write than this chapter was. I think...  
**

**As a treat for waiting so long, there's an mini-omake at the bottom that was _SpartanCommander's_ idea. It was originally part of the chapter but it didn't fit in anymore after I wrote everything else so I decided, "Why not make it an omake?" If anyone else has good ideas for omakes, send them to me! Better yet, write them out yourself! I'll save them in a file and post them in another story later.  
**

* * *

**Omake:**

Ichigo was fully intending on relaxing at home after the embarrassing events of the afternoon, fighting with Vortex, and then being threatened that the Vizard would not rest until they had recruited him. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

"Ichigooo!" Kurosaki Isshin poked his head into Ichigo's room. "You didn't tell me you made the news!"

"_What_?"

Ichigo was downstairs in record time, gaping in dismay at the scene that was playing on television. Yuzu was attempting to comfort him while Karin didn't seem to care other than to congratulate Ichigo on being the victim of what was apparently the most elaborate prank pulled in the history of Karakura Town.

Yes… Playing on TV was the image of Ichigo hanging upside down from the flag pole in nothing but his boxers. His face was censored but his orange hair was still extremely noticeable for anybody who cared to look.

He could only hope that none of the shinigamis (_especially_ Byakuya) were watching. Not only would his reputation be ruined (not that it wasn't already in his school but his shinigami life should be spared from the humiliation), but they would notice Skulker sticking out like an eyesore.

What was strange was that none of his classmates (or even the reporters) was scared of the ghost. They'd all just thought he was a strange and high-tech robot.

This was officially the most embarrassing day of his life and it wasn't even his fault.


	25. Arrancar Invasion Part 1

**I appreciate all the reviews you guys have written. Sorry I can't reply to them here but then it'd take even **_**longer**_**.**

**Thanks to **_**Kori Neko Tenshi, Firehedgehog, SpartanCommander, Silver Shadowbreeze, Kai-Chan94, Talk Bubble, angel-devil-2009, stick fight3, happygirl445, Kitsune-242, Yin7, The Silent Orion, KarasuNoKurai, Mak8907, Blue Wolf Moon, Hanzo of the Salamander, Leo112, **_**and**_** Brad W**_** for reviewing! I'm really glad all of you liked the last chapter. It really warms me down to my toes. :D**

_**KarasuNoKurai:**_ Thanks for the information on Victoria's Secret! I never knew that. Also hope you enjoy this newest chapter!

**This chapter is over 8,000 words long, not including the OMAKE at the end. I hope you enjoy it! You'll probably hate me at the end… Once again, let me know if you see something wrong in the chapter. Just dropping a REVIEW would also be nice, though! ;D**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither **_**Bleach**_** nor **_**Danny Phantom**_**!**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Arrancar Invasion (Part 1)**

* * *

A portal opened in midair, opening like blocks were sliding past each other. Six white-clothed figures stepped out of the abyss and observed the sleeping town below them as the portal closed behind them.

One of the figures had spiky blue hair and what looked like teeth on the side of his face. He carried himself with an arrogant air and possessed what appeared to be a zanpakutou at his hip. The other five at his side had the same weapons.

Following a short pause, in which Grimmjow curled his lips up into a sneer, he remarked, "Pathetic." He turned halfway to face his subordinates. "It's hard to believe that a dump like this could have something like a half-ghost. Maybe now we'll get to see what's so special about him." An insane light glinted in his eyes.

"What about the human shinigami?"

"Kill him and his friends if you find them. And anyone else with the slightest trace of reiatsu."

Silently, they all turned inwards to form a circle and closed their eyes. A silent pulse of energy went out and penetrated the town. Within moments, small flares of light popped into their mind's eyes. Some were brighter than others but there were many.

"Tch. They breed like insects." Grimmjow's eyes snapped open. "You have your targets then."

"Yes, sir!"

With that, they all blurred and disappeared with a small clap of sound.

"What the hell are we doing in a bar?" Hitsugaya muttered, looking slightly uncomfortable in his seat at a dingy table by the wall. "And why is this place even open after what happened today?"

Byakuya held up a card that had been on the table. It read in cheery letters, "Open through rain and shine!"

"That doesn't explain what we're doing here."

"It's a bar, taichou," Shinobu said, suddenly plopping down next to him. "You can get information here and find all sorts of people."

"Fantomu will not be found in a bar," Hitsugaya said firmly. "Nor will his friends. Especially not in a bar like this."

"You won't know unless you look around!" Shinobu urged. "Come on!"

Without warning, she grabbed Hitsugaya and lugged him off, ignoring his protests. She dumped him on a stool in front of the bar, sat down next to him, and proceeded to order two glasses of saké.

"I don't drink saké," Hitsugaya muttered.

The bartender shot Shinobu the evil eye. "I'll have to see a license. You kids over eighteen?"

"Over…eighteen?" Shinobu seemed confused.

"This is the mortal world," Hitsugaya grumbled.

"We are over eighteen!" Shinobu protested.

"License then." He held out a grubby hand.

"Don't look at me," Hitsugaya said in response to Shinobu's look. "You dragged me here."

Fortunately for the two, there was a loud commotion in the back that distracted the bartender from the issue of their nonexistent licenses.

Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed disbelievingly while Shinobu's widened. The bartender simply gave a foul curse and stomped off.

Directly in the back, surrounded by a large crowd, was Soifon. She had one foot on a chair and the other on a table. She was staring down a rough looking guy who was standing in the same position.

"What did you say?" she growled menacingly.

"I said that a delicate looking female like you shouldn't be here!" the man sneered. He was sporting a budding black eye.

"Soifon-taichou is not delicate!" Shinobu hissed angrily. She had gotten up and was about to storm over when a hand on her arm stopped her.

"We should stay back." It was Byakuya.

"But…"

"She can take care of herself," Hitsugaya said. "We shouldn't drag ourselves into that mess."

Although Hitsugaya was clear-headed enough to make such a rational decision, Soifon was not. She had grabbed the man by the shirt and was gesturing furiously in their direction while holding up several fingers.

"I have nothing to do with her," Hitsugaya proclaimed, sliding off his stool.

"Taichou!" Shinobu gasped, scandalized.

Byakuya gave a light cough and followed his younger colleague. After the fight that day, he had no desire to enter into a brawl with mortals.

Meanwhile, Soifon was being accosted by several buff- and mean-looking thugs. "Kuchiki! Hitsugaya!" She was looking in their direction.

Hitsugaya flinched as he felt unfriendly eyes fall on him. '_Kami. What is she __**thinking**__?_'

"You're with her?" The bartender suddenly loomed to the right, four more thugs with him.

"Err…" This time, even Shinobu seemed reluctant to answer.

Unfortunately for the three, the bartender's question was answered when a flushed Soifon latched onto a surprised Byakuya's neck, having evaded her assaulters. "They're with me," she said brightly, slightly slurring.

Byakuya unsuccessfully tried to unlatch Soifon. "Erk…"

'_Is she __**drunk**__?_' Hitsugaya thought, alarmed.

"No answer?" the bartender asked menacingly when no one volunteered a response. "Good. Makes it all the easier then."

"For what?" Shinobu said.

"For this."

Without any warning, two thugs grabbed and lifted up Hitsugaya and Shinobu from behind.

"Hey!" Hitsugaya objected.

"Put me down!" Shinobu demanded.

The bartender looked impassively at the two other shinigami in gigai. "And the two lovebirds." Two new thugs appeared by Byakuya and Soifon.

"You owe me," one of them said to Soifon, grinning. He was missing several teeth and his mouth was still bloody.

Byakuya and Soifon were lifted up together and unceremoniously dumped outside along with Hitsugaya and Shinobu.

"And stay out!" the bartender barked, slamming the door shut.

Byakuya promptly took the opportunity to dislatch himself from Soifon and step away from her. "She's drunk," he stated, having smelt her breath.

"How much did you drink?" Hitsugaya asked, kneeling in front of Soifon. He inspected her throat and eyes. "You can normally hold your liquor a lot better than this."

Soifon giggled, scaring Hitsugaya out of his wits. "You're cute."

Deciding he really didn't want to be around her more than necessary in this inebriated state, Hitsugaya popped a gikongan into her open mouth. It came from a stick with a bunny head on top.

"Hitsugaya…that's Chappy," Byakuya said, already emotionally desensitized as he watched the candy be swallowed.

Hitsugaya belatedly looked at it. "Oh, damn."

Soifon's shinigami form was forced out at that moment. "Damn gigai," she groused, still looking flushed. "I'm going to kill Kurotsuchi for giving me that thing."

"Pyooon!" The now completely drunk and utterly senseless gigai jumped onto Hitsugaya. "You're _cute_!"

"Get off me!" Hitsugaya grabbed onto the gigai's shoulders and tried pushing it off.

It didn't work.

"Hey!" Shinobu had finished inspecting her gikongan. "You have mine!"

Hitsugaya was now buried under Soifon's fake body. "Take the accursed thing." He managed to hold it out for Shinobu to trade.

"Sorry about the mess in there," Soifon apologized. "I didn't know that a single saké cup would make my gigai so drunk."

Hitsugaya was now on top and was holding down the gigai's arms. His knee was on its/her chest. "And you wanted to have one," he said to Shinobu.

"Pyooon! You love me!" Soifon's gigai somehow managed to squirm out and tackle Hitsugaya to the ground again. "Let's make love!"

Soifon watched with a mixture of disbelief and disgust plastered on her face. "I don't ever want to see myself act like that again."

"Agreed," Byakuya said.

"Too young!" Hitsugaya grunted, holding the gigai off with just his legs. "And you're too old!"

"Are you calling me old?" Soifon snapped.

"Yes!"

"Why you—"

Their spat was broken off by a large reiatsu they felt.

"Did you feel that?" Hitsugaya asked, half-ignoring the gigai's face in his neck. When he got out, he was taking a _long_ shower to wash off Soifon.

"Yes," Soifon said. "This reiatsu…"

"They're not hollows," Byakuya said, now in his shinigami form as well. He had checked to be sure he didn't have Chappy. "From the size and feel of the reiatsu they're probably…"

"Arrancar."

* * *

_Snore_.

Ichigo sighed, erasing something he had written down before tapping the butt of his pencil against his chin. A moment later he wrote something down.

_Snore_.

He shot the sleeping stuffed bear lying on his bed a glare. Sometimes…_most_ of the time Kon was just really too much. If it wasn't for him, Ichigo never would have found himself hanging upside down from a flagpole and at the mercy of Skulker (the fact that he should have been aware of something fishy never crossed his mind).

Although he often thought about just leaving Kon attached to the toilet whenever he found him like that, he always released him because he was his responsibility (and the fact that the stuffed bear had actually grown on him). Keeping this in mind, Ichigo shook his head and tried to return to his math when he felt _it_.

It was a devastating surge of pressure that had all the hairs on his neck and arms standing up on edge. He was normally terrible at sensing reiatsu so the fact that he could sense this meant that it was really strong. It wasn't the shinigamis' reiatsu; he knew how that felt through prolonged exposure with it.

This was completely different. Furthermore, it just felt _wrong_.

Furrowing his brow, he got up and cautiously poked his head out of his window. There was no need to be overly rash after all. When his head wasn't immediately attacked by a frothing spiritual being out for his blood, he retracted it and closed his window, ignoring the questioning glances sent to him by a sleepy Kon.

"What's up, Ichigo?" the stuffed bear asked.

"Nothing," he responded shortly, stuffing the bear back under the covers. "Just go back to sleep."

The whining noises Kon made went unheeded by him as his room door was suddenly opened by a wide-eyed Karin. "Ichigo!"

He started slightly. "Karin! Is something wrong?"

"What is that strange feeling?" she demanded, her eyes panicky.

Ichigo shot a glance out of his window. "I'm…not sure," he half-lied. "Karin, why don't you—"

"No!" Her refusal was so abrupt and strong that it shocked him.

"Karin?" His brown eyes were puzzled.

Her next statement alarmed him. "I don't know what you're involved in Ichigo but I've seen you running around in those strange clothes with that sword on your back! Whatever's out there…you know what it is, don't you?"

The reiatsu was getting stronger and he had a dilemma on his hands. But no matter how much Karin meant to him, he couldn't answer her questions. Actually, it was better that he didn't. Answering her questions and then being slaughtered by a hungry hollow – or whatever it was – wouldn't say much for his big brother capabilities.

"I'm sorry," he said shortly, grabbing his representative shinigami badge and slamming it against his chest. She already knew; it couldn't do any more harm.

"Ichigo…" Karin watched in amazement as her big brother stepped out of his body.

Ichigo simply nodded to her, making a silent promise to discuss this with her later. He then opened the window again and stepped out onto thin air, looking for the source of reiatsu that he could sense.

"So you're the human shinigami." Startled, he looked up to see a human figure silhouetted against the night sky.

"Who're you?" he asked, rising to its level. Now that he had a closer look at this figure, he could marvel at how ugly he was. Although he looked human, he wasn't. He had a large obstruction on his head that was half-covered with bandages. What could be seen of his hair was a light gray and his teeth were filed to a point. He had a large hole in his upper torso under his collarbone. "Man, you're ugly," he blurted before he could think.

The strange being before him glared angrily at him. "My name is Di Roy Rinker," he said coolly. "I am Arrancar Dieciséis."

Ichigo raised his eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be some fancy title I'm supposed to goggle at? Sorry, bud, but it's not cutting it for me." It looked like Danny's mannerisms had rubbed off on him more than he knew.

Di Roy glared at him again. "If you're that much of an idiot, killing you isn't going to be any fun at all."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, fully aware that Karin was probably watching this right now. "Why don't we take this somewhere else?" he suggested in a clipped tone. Yet his manner said that it was anything but a suggestion.

The Arrancar before him smirked but was unable to say anything else as Ichigo suddenly shunpoed to him, grabbed his face, and shunpoed away again to carry this fight to safer ventures. Judging from this guy's reiatsu, it was going to be a rather easy fight.

In the meantime, though, Karin was huddled on Ichigo's bed, her frame shivering. Underneath her knees was a suffocating Kon who was being squashed by her weight.

It could not be said that he didn't sacrifice.

* * *

Orihime was sitting at her desk, writing in her notebook when she felt the sudden surge of reiatsu. A small gasp escaped her lips and her head snapped up to look out of her window. The pencil she had been holding clattered to the floor through her numb fingers as her grayish-brown eyes widened in disbelief and horror.

Standing directly outside of her window was a hulking man in white clothes. Half of his face, the right half, was covered with a white hollow mask. The other half revealed a pudgy face with an eye with a reddish iris. His hair was a dark brown and fashioned in a bowl cut.

By now she was off her chair and on her feet, but she was petrified as she could not stop staring at the man. She didn't know him but his reiatsu was devastating. The hollow mask alone was a dead giveaway as to what a dangerous individual he was.

Her eyes widened further when he took an arm out from behind his back and pointed a finger at her window, a yellow light forming at the tip of it. It was all she could do to shield with her hair clips when the cero was fired and demolished her bedroom wall.

"_Santen Kesshun_!"

* * *

Chad was only a block away from Orhime's house when he felt the devastating reiatsu and heard a piercing scream only seconds later. He knew intuitively what must have happened as he recognized Orihime's scream.

"Inoue!" He immediately began pelting down the street to her house. He knew that she couldn't fight as well as him, Ichigo, or Uryuu.

But before he managed to make it to Orihime's house, he was stopped by a figure that suddenly materialized before him. "I don't think so," it said in a sing-song voice. When the figure was illuminated in the light of a streetlamp, Chad saw that it was a male with blonde hair that fell below his shoulders. He had on a white outfit and the top was open to reveal a hole in his chest. "You look like a fun catch," he said approvingly, smirking.

Chad fought down a shiver. "Who are you?" he asked in his deep baritone.

The smirk widened. "I am Yylfordt Granz, Arrancar Quince."

Chad simply stared at him impassively, not sure what to make of that. His unresponsiveness served to irritate the Arrancar – whatever that was. "Not impressed?" The man rolled his eyes. "Not like it matters anyway. Seeing as you're about to _die_!"

Just before the Arrancar leapt to attack him, Chad's left arm morphed into a black and purple muscular version with a blinding white light forming at the knuckles.

'_Hold on, Inoue._'

* * *

The group from Soul Society was flying high in the sky above Karakura Town. Although they could still feel the reiatsu, they could not see the source. That did not stop them from following the trail to the source.

"How many Arrancar do you think it is?" Shinobu asked from her spot in the middle. Her taichou was ahead of her and besides Hitsugaya. Byakuya was picking up the rear.

"At least four," Hitsugaya said, his teal eyes hard.

"_Four_?" Shinobu sounded alarmed.

"You won't be fighting," Soifon said sharply, calming her subordinate's fears. "Just stay out of the way and note down what's happening."

Shinobu nodded slowly, her mind boggling over the fact that there were at least _four_ Arrancar in the same town they were in. She was still a child as far as shinigami years went and didn't have the experience of any of the taichous. Even Hitsugaya, who looked like a ten-year-old child, had more experience than she did.

The short silence they had fallen into was broken with the appearance of a tall man who materialized in front of them. The shinigamis stopped abruptly, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

Soifon was the first who noticed what they were facing. "Hitsugaya, Kuchiki…"

"We know," Hitsugaya answered shortly, his eyes narrowing.

Byakuya didn't reply, simply narrowing his own eyes.

With that said, Soifon took the lead. "You're an Arrancar then." Her eyes flicked back to Shinobu. "Get out of here."

"Yes, taichou!" Shinobu blurred and disappeared.

The white-clothed man before them smirked at the three shinigami that remained. The remnants of his hollow form were a strangely shaped bone-white hat that extended down over what would have been his left eye; there were two slits there. His face was angular and his black tied back in a small pigtail. "How pleasant to know that Soul Society knows what we are. I am Shawlong Kuufang, Arrancar Undécimo. You are?"

Soifon subtly moved her arm to the back to better grasp her zanpakutou "Soifon, taichou of the second division."

Hitsugaya grasped his zanpakutou's hilt. "Hitsugaya Toushirou, taichou of the tenth division."

Byakuya didn't move. "Kuchiki Byakuya, taichou of the sixth division."

Shawlong smiled. "What an honor. Three taichous just fell into my lap. Soul Society will suffer a blow tonight."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. "You sound confident that you will win."

"Haven't you noticed that you're outnumbered?" Soifon pointed out.

"Numbers are a measly fact that should not need to be considered in the grand scheme of things," Shawlong said dismissively.

The taichous shared incredulous looks, each of them almost not being able to believe that an Arrancar could be so stupid to believe he could hold his own against _three_ taichou-level shinigamis.

It was almost funny. Almost.

Hitsugaya snapped out his zanpakutou when Shawlong drew his, biting out the release, "Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!"

Byakuya's blade pointed to the sky and disappeared from the top down. "Chire, Senbonzakura."

Soifon flicked hers out and released it. "Jinteki Syakusetsu, Suzumebachi!"

Shawlong swept his blade around in a large arc. "Tate, Tijereta." The blade gleamed brightly and a drastic change occurred with his appearance. The left side of his mask extended down to cover his face with several long slits; it extended further down to cover his chest in a sort of armor and lengthened over his arms, ending with his hands, which now resembled large claws. The back of the "helmet" he had on became a long bony tail with a claw at the end of it that had two bony points.

The release didn't take more than a split-second. Hitsugaya, startled as he was by Shawlong's drastic change in appearance, immediately charged forward with his zanpakutou at the ready.

He swiped at Shawlong but missed when the Arrancar disappeared in clap of sound. He reappeared next to a startled Hitsugaya and tried to cut the boy in half, only to be blocked by the pink blades of Senbonzakura.

This defense was quickly backed up by Soifon shunpoeing next to him and jabbing forward with Suzumebachi. She scored a hit on his shoulder before having to duck from a swipe of his tail. She bent over backward to have Byakuya swiftly guide his zanpakutou's blades to attack Shawlong from the front.

She flinched when Shawlong suddenly disappeared again with a clap of sound. Shunpoeing herself, she materialized next to Byakuya. Shawlong reappeared across from them, a black butterfly adorning his shoulder now.

"Can you hit him there again?" Byakuya asked quietly.

Soifon narrowed her eyes calculatingly. "If he's distracted sufficiently, yes. He's probably figured out that it's not for decoration."

Hitsugaya provided that distraction a moment later with the giant ice dragon that had formed around him. With a loud shout that snapped Shawlong's attention from his shoulder to him, he shot the dragon towards the Arrancar. The air crystallized around it.

Shawlong raised his hands and was about to do something when Soifon seized the moment to strike him again. The poison in her zanpakutou instantly took effect and he plummeted like a stone without knowing what happened.

With the threat neutralized, Hitsugaya called the dragon off and sealed Hyourinmaru. Byakuya and Soifon did the same as Shinobu rejoined them.

"Nice!" was all she said, having trouble stifling the beam on her face.

"It was more difficult than it should have been," Hitsugaya disagreed, sheathing his weapon with a click.

"You're right," Soifon acknowledged crisply, also sheathing Suzumebachi. "And there are still three left."

The other two taichous nodded, sensing the same thing.

"We'll split up," Hitsugaya said sharply, his eyes scanning the sky for anymore Arrancars. He couldn't see anything but managed to find Kurosaki's reiatsu and was troubled when seeing how twisted it was. There was another weaker reiatsu but he wasn't sure what it was or who it belonged to.

"Good idea," Soifon said. "Shinobu, go with Kuchiki. I'll go with Hitsugaya. We'll meet back with our gigais, understood?"

Everyone nodded before shunpoeing away in two different groups.

* * *

The bulky Arrancar swung his fist into the delicate girl's stomach, sending her flying to the ground. He was about to follow it up when she was caught by a man who materialized in thin air, a long zanpakutou in his hand.

Urahara Kisuke glanced down at Ururu's pale face before looking up at the Arrancar. "Take her, Jinta," he said softly, handing her off to the red-haired boy, "and go inside."

Jinta inclined his head and ran off with Ururu, leaving the ex-taichou to gaze up at his opponent.

The Arrancar grinned down. "Oh good. I wasn't enjoying beating up on a girl anyway. I am Edrad Liones, Arrancar Trece. You are?" The remnants of his hollow mask looked like a small pair of glasses that rested on his nose. The right side of his hair was red and long while the left side was cropped and black. His hollow hole was in his chest.

Urahara was impassive as he responded, "Urahara Kisuke, shopkeeper."

Liones peered at him, wondering whether the man was poking fun at him. "Shopkeeper?"

Urahara flicked his weapon. "Shopkeeper. Okiro, Benihime." His zanpakutou, which previously had a cane for a handle, obtained an elaborately styled hilt and a wider blade. He gave the Arrancar a small grin that came off as slightly creepy. "But that doesn't really matter, does it?"

Liones drew himself up, grinning back (although his grin was far less creepy and simply looked obnoxious). "Point in your favor, shopkeeper. Are you ready to meet your death?"

Urahara seemed slightly contemplative at that question, putting a hand up to his hat and hiding his face in shadow. "Aya… So hasty…" His senses prickled as he felt the reiatsu of the other shinigamis and Arrancar in the town and he could feel several of them fluctuate wildly. When he looked up again, it was to see Liones's fist heading directly towards his face.

Without any preamble, he ducked under it, his coat flaring up as he did. He rolled under Liones's feet and came up uninjured behind him. He raised Benihime and drew her back for an assault, swiping sideways at Liones's head. He made contact when the Arrancar twisted around and batted the zanpakutou aside with his arm with nary a scratch.

"You forget my hierro, shopkeeper," Liones said, smirking. "It's more than strong enough to stop your blade."

"Silly me." Urahara grinned cheerily. "Thanks for the reminder." Before Liones could react, he attacked again, a crimson glow of energy surrounding Benihime's blade as he struck. This time the zanpakutou cleaved cleanly through the shocked Arrancar's arm. "That does meet my expectations more adequately." The mirthful glint in his eyes was the only clue that he was playing with the larger man.

Liones's eyebrow ticked and his mouth curled into a snarl. "You…you'll pay!" he roared, using his remaining arm to draw his weapon.

Urahara didn't move as the zanpakutou left its sheath. It was only when he felt a buzzing in his pockets that he realized he had to finish the fight quickly. Without further ado, he stopped Liones's remaining arm in its tracks by cutting it off as well. As it fell away, so did the zanpakutou.

Liones howled in pain and tried to attack Urahara with his head. He was stopped by Urahara piercing his chest with Benihime. His eyes widened with fear and realization as he recognized the hand sign the shopkeeper was making. "But you…you said you were a shopkeeper!"

"I am," Urahara said simply. His next words finished the fight. "Hadou 31, Shakkahou."

A red beam of light burst from his hand and engulfed the Arrancar, discinerating him from the world. Two seconds later, Urahara finally snapped out the phone that was lying in his coat pockets.

"What's the problem?" he asked immediately.

"_Danny ran off!_" a panicked voice promptly shouted into his ear, nearly bursting his eardrums.

Shaking aside the ringing, he placed the phone back on his ear. "When?"

"_Just a couple of minutes ago! We couldn't stop him!_"

Urahara hooked a thumb and one finger on the brim of his hat, holding Benihime over his shoulder. Danny had clearly felt the arrival of the Arrancar and gone off despite his warnings to leave spiritual matters to Ichigo and Soul Society. Now since Danny didn't have any reiatsu, finding him was going to be a problem without Soul Society's shinigamis finding out or him running into any other Arrancar.

'_Or maybe not,_' he mused as he saw flashes of green light off to his right. He spoke into the phone. "I think I've found him. Stay in your rooms and don't go out. Karakura Town has become a warzone for the night."

Without waiting for a reply, he slipped the phone he had bought especially for Sam, Tucker, and Danny's calls back into his pocket and shunpoed off. Maybe he could get there without running into another Arrancar or a possibly irritable shinigami.

* * *

The fight was ridiculously easy. Ichigo didn't even have to use his bankai, which he didn't want to do in any case. Aside from being really ugly, Di Roy wasn't much of a threat. Although this was the first Arrancar Ichigo had met, he was guessing that this guy was one of the weakest.

He knocked aside the second punch Di Roy threw his way and bashed Zangetsu's hilt into his cranium, cracking the large "helmet" he had on. He flicked his wrist and knocked Di Roy into the street below them. Eyes flaring blue, he whipped out a brisk _getsuga tenshou_, crushing the Arrancar. He wasn't sure about Soul Society's policy on these things but they were like hollows and could be exterminated the hollow way.

Even if they _did_ look more human than the average hollow.

Swallowing the small lump of guilt he felt at killing something that looked very human, Ichigo turned around only to freeze in his steps when he felt another significantly more powerful reiatsu than Di Roy suddenly materialize above him. Exhaling shakily, he looked up to see a blue-haired Arrancar smirking down at him with a crazy glint in his eyes. Scratch that. Even his grin looked crazy.

"So you're the substitute shinigami," the Arrancar said, his grin not fading. "I see that Rinker was no match for you."

"Who're you supposed to be?" Ichigo demanded. He set his feet and gripped Zangestu more tightly.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," the Arrancar introduced himself. His thumbs were hooked into his pants. "And you're Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo stepped back, alarmed. "How do you know my name?"

"Everyone knows who you are," Grimmjow replied in a rather bored tone. "Just like we all know that you've got bankai."

"What?" Ichigo didn't understand where he was leading with this.

"Come on, kid." Grimmjow pointed down at him condescendingly. "Release it – your bankai. Otherwise this fight is just going to be pitiful."

Creepily reminded of Kenpachi's battle-loving nature, Ichigo knew this guy wouldn't be the same pushover Di Roy was. What the hell was he going to do about it, though? Release his bankai and run the risk of his inner hollow taking over? _What_?

"Come on, kid!" Grimmjow repeated angrily, looking pissed off now. "Release your bankai! Or do you want to be killed before you can even blink?"

Before he could overthink the matter anymore, Ichigo placed his left hand over his right wrist and stuck Zangetsu out. He shouted "Bankai!" just as Grimmjow shouted "Release it!"

A flare of blue reiryoku engulfed him and prevented Grimmjow from seeing what he did next: he shunpoed directly behind him to launch the first attack. Sure it was sneaky…but who said he had to be honorable about it? He was running the risk of being taken over by his inner hollow!

Unfortunately for Ichigo, Grimmjow turned around in time to prevent his head from being lopped off. He ducked under the swing and tried to punch Ichigo, missing as the substitute shinigami deftly leapt backwards in a blur.

"What a joke!" Grimmjow snapped, glaring at the hovering shinigami just out of his reach. "Is that all your bankai does? Increase your speed?"

"Didn't you notice my new outfit?" Ichigo impassively pointed down at his coat with Tensa Zangetsu.

Grimmjow stared incredulously at Ichigo, who was having trouble suppressing his smirk. "Your _outfit_?" His mouth bared into a murderous sneer. "You're just asking to be killed!" he screamed, charging right at the orange-haired teenager.

Ichigo snapped his zanpakutou up in front of him in a block, barely managing to halt the enraged Arrancar in his tracks. Maybe he'd better rethink this whole taunting his opponent thing with clever quips. How did Danny manage to do it?

He strained to keep Grimmjow back, grimacing as the Arrancar's hot breath washed across his face. The distraction cost him as Grimmjow brought his knee up in a savage kick to his stomach. Instinctively, he doubled over and left himself wide open for a punch that knocked him clear to the ground. He barely had any time to recover when he was met by a barrage of merciless punches from Grimmjow, who was laughing like a maniac the entire time.

For not the first time since he entered his life as a substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo wondered if he'd bitten off more than he could chew this time.

* * *

_ "Santen Kesshun!"_ Orihime screamed, the hairclips in her hair glowing orange before three flower petals streaked outward to form a triangular-shaped shield that blocked the cero the Arrancar had fired her way. It was unable to block the rubble that fell around her as the ruined wall left the ceiling free to crumble.

Panting, she rubbed away a stray mark of dirt that had touched her chin. When the shield dissipated, three fairy-like beings fluttered around her head. Baigon, a large brawny male with practically no hair and a mask decorated with flowers covering the bottom half of his face, flew by her hair. Hinagiku, a bald man with an unusual eyepatch over his left eye and a purple pinstriped suit, settled next to her ear. Lily had a tattoo on her back and pink hair. She wore a blue bathing suit and transparent yellow glasses. She was directly in front of Orihime.

"Everything all right?" Lily asked, concerned.

"Tsubaki!" Orihime said quickly, slowly getting to her feet. Part of her right hairclip glowed and a male fairy with a beige cloth covering his face from his chin to his nose appeared. He had black hair and his left eye was covered with something that resembled a first-degree burn. "I'm fine thanks to you, Lily," she then said, looking out at the impassive Arrancar that was still floating there.

"Hey, woman!" Tsubaki floated to her shoulder. "What the hell is going on?"

"I was attacked by him," Orihime said.

She didn't have to point to let Tsubaki see him. "Doesn't look so tough," he scoffed. "Well? Are you going to say it?"

Orihime hesitated a moment before gritting her teeth and nodding. "Yes." The three defensive fairies flew behind her as Tsubaki fluttered before her. "_Koten Zanshun_!"

Tsubaki instantly transformed into a projectile-like version and shot off towards the Arrancar. Orange energy started forming at the tip of his "nose" and spread out alongside his wings. He was about to strike when the large Arrancar simply put up a hand and blocked the offensive attack, immediately shattering the attacking fairy into thousands of particles.

"Tsubaki!" Orihime screamed, tears flowing from her eyes. "No!"

The other fairies gaped in shock alongside Orihime, who was frozen in horror at what had just happened to her friend and only weapon. Her eyes widened in fear when the Arrancar stepped onto the floor of her demolished room.

A small whimper escaped her throat and the three defensive fairies drifted around her protectively. What was she going to do now?

* * *

Chad panted heavily, his face pale with shock and pain. His right arm was bleeding profusely from several large cuts and a gaping hole at the shoulder that pretty much rendered it useless.

"Ngh…" He looked up at Granz, who was sneering disdainfully down at him.

"You weren't much of a fight," Granz said scornfully, lifting an arm up. He didn't have a scratch on him; only his collar looked a little windblown. "You should be feeling lucky that I'll just kill you now instead of waiting."

Quite the contrary, though: Chad wasn't feeling lucky at all. He was terrified not for himself but for Orihime. She was still alive but he wasn't sure how long she could hold out. She hated fighting and would not be able to hold her own against one of these things. Hell, even _he_ couldn't, although that wasn't really saying much.

'_Ichigo…_' But his friend was in his own fight. He could sense that from the twisting reiatsus that were in the air. But if not Ichigo, then who?

Chad bowed his head in defeat as Yylfordt Granz prepared to demolish his world.

* * *

They hadn't been doing much the entire day. Aside from school and homework, it was very boring. For once, Danny had actually completed all his work and had time to double-check it and even read over Tucker's. He had to admit that it was a nice change of pace.

Too bad that it couldn't last.

He was reading a library book Sam had checked out for him when a paralyzing feeling came over him and froze his fingers. The book slipped through his lifeless fingers, falling to the ground with a loud thump. The noise distracted Sam and Tucker from their book and PDA respectively.

Sam leaned towards him from her spot on the couch next to him. "Everything all right, Danny?"

He could only shake his head wordlessly as he opened his mouth but couldn't get his vocal chords to cooperate. What was that _awful_ feeling? It felt like…it felt like that time in Soul Society when the taichous had been around him and releasing their reiatsu on the ghosts. But so much much more malevolent.

He gave a strangled gasp as an icy cold feeling shuddered through him and a plume of fine white mist escaped from his mouth. "Gah…"

"That is not normal," Tucker commented. He got up from where he had been playing on the ground.

"Do you guys…feel that?" Danny asked, not knowing why he was whispering.

Sam seemed confused and worried. "What?"

"That _awful_ oppressive feeling." He gave another shudder and squeezed his eyes shut. A flash of images flashed through his brain, almost too quick to comprehend. But he recognized Chad get his arm pierced through the shoulder and saw Orihime cry out behind a gleaming orange shield.

Sam and Tucker stayed still, stretching their senses out to feel what had their friend so on edge. Their eyes widened when they felt it.

"God…" Sam said in a hushed voice; Tucker simply looked sick. "What _is_ that?"

"I don't know." Danny shook his head, walking to the windows. The blinds were drawn but he peeked through them. His throat went dry when he saw several figures appear shortly before blurring and disappearing.

"Do you see anything?" Sam asked.

Danny closed the blinds. "No." A horrible sick feeling gripped his stomach and he felt several piercing pains in his right arm. "Ow!" He gripped it in pain.

"Danny!" Sam dropped her book and rushed to him, Tucker on her heels. "What's wrong?"

"I have to…" Danny clenched his eyes shut, seeing Orihime launch something at a huge figure before the image was gone. "I-I have to go."

Tucker grabbed his arm, the one that hadn't been hurting. "What? No! You can't!"

"Remember what Urahara said!" Sam reminded, sounding panicked. "It's too dangerous!"

Feeling conflicted but knowing that he _had_ to do this or feel guilty about letting something happen that he could have stopped, Danny shook his head. "I'm sorry."

He phased his arms through his concerned friends' tight grips and transformed.

Sam reached for him. "Danny, don't!"

Danny gave a tight smile as an apology. "I'll be back." Then he was out of the room so fast that everything was a blur.

He went straight for where the oppressive feeling was the closest, phasing through buildings as he did. Chad was on the ground and he was in danger.

His legs were streamlined into a tail and he had never flown so fast in his life. His friends would be furious but that was fine. As long as he saved who he could he could handle anything. It was the guilt that he couldn't handle. It would eat away at him until he'd only be a shadow of who he had been.

Closing his eyes in resolve before opening them, Danny phased through one last building before seeing what he had come to prevent: Chad being about to be killed by some guy with long blonde hair (girlish, much?). A red light was forming at the would-be killer's hand and Danny knew he only had seconds to spare.

With a grunt, he poured on a final burst of speed and practically slammed into the attacker, knocking him several blocks away and sending the half-formed attack spiraling harmlessly into the sky.

He landed on the street, knowing that the guy wasn't finished yet.

Chad was staring in disbelief at his miraculous rescue and at the white-haired figure standing in front of him. He had never seen Danny in his ghost form before. "Danny?"

Danny looked back worriedly. "You all right?" He immediately seemed chastened. "Sorry. Force of habit. You're obviously not all right at all." His green eyes scanned Chad's ruined arm.

The older teen realized absentmindedly that along with the bright glow that Danny's voice echoed as well. He managed to nod and refrain from glancing at his arm. "I'll be fine."

Danny looked skeptically at the arm, doubting this statement. "Sure."

Chad ignored the skepticism. "How did you know where I was?"

"Oh, you know…" Danny shrugged nonchalantly, waving a hand in the air. "The vibes in the air. Kind of hard to miss actually."

"The reiatsu?"

"Yeah, that." Danny frowned, looking down the street. "Funny. I would've thought that the guy would be back now."

His unspoken question was answered when with a sudden clap of sound, the man appeared directly in front of him with his zanpakutou bared. The blade went straight for Danny's stomach, nearly goring him if it weren't for him reflexively turning intangible and letting it go through.

Mindful of Chad's injured state behind him, Danny grabbed the guy's – Blondie – hand and swung him away and into a light post. The poor post immediately collapsed under the onslaught, its light blinking out like a firefly and leaving that part of the street washed in darkness.

When Blondie charged at him again, not seeming the least bit fazed at having been thrown into a light post, Danny shot a powerful ghost ray. The green beam missed as Blondie blurred and reappeared right in front of him with a clap of sound. Startled, Danny managed to catch the falling zanpakutou in-between his gloved hands, preventing it from cleaving him in two. It was then that he found how damn strong Blondie actually was despite his small and seemingly frail size.

'_Talk about misleading impressions,_' he thought, straining to keep the deadly blade away from his face. '_But then I don't give off the "I'm really strong!" vibe either._'

"I can't believe how lucky I am!" Blondie cackled, grinning maniacally at a very alarmed Danny. "Here we are looking for you and you just fall right into my lap!"

'_Double crap,_' Danny swore silently, not minding his language. '_They were __**looking**__ for me?_'

"Now it's time to see what's so special about you, Fantomu!" Blondie pressed forward another inch, his grin widening.

A bead of sweat trickling down his temple, Danny inhaled deeply and then just let go, fading to a bluish-white form as the zanpakutou sank through him and to the ground. Then before Blondie could react, he turned solid and fired a powerful ecto-beam directly at his chest.

"Oof!" Blondie flew backward, his coat sizzling with the power.

"Here's what so special about me, Blondie!" Danny snapped, his eyes flaring an icy blue. "I like my opponents cold!" He brought his glowing blue hands together and fired an ice beam at a furious Blondie. The blue beam struck him head on and froze him in a solid block. Without a second thought, Danny shaped his hands quickly as if rolling together a ball of snow; a growing green orb took shape as he kept circling. When it was the size of a bowling ball, he swung his right arm back and threw it like a baseball, hitting his mark directly in the center of the block.

The ice shattered into pieces and raised a small cloud of smoke.

"Blondie?" Chad managed to ask, not believing what he had heard.

Danny shot him a look, shrugging. "He has long blonde hair. If you ask me, he's just asking for it. 'Sides, I have to call him _something_."

"His name is Yylfordt Granz," Chad offered, not wanting to see Danny get pummeled because of his nicknaming abilities – or lack thereof.

Danny frowned, peeved. "I liked Blondie," he muttered, peering into the debris left over from his last attack. For some reason, he didn't think that Blondie – or Granz as he would have to call him now – had been severely injured enough to take him out of the fight. He hadn't aimed to kill; that just wasn't in him. But while this attack would have put any other ghost out of commission, he had to consider that Granz _wasn't_ a ghost.

Sure enough, when the smoke had partly cleared, a very bloodied but still capable Yylfordt Graz stood there, glaring furiously at Danny. "You _bastard_!" he snarled. "You son of a _bitch_!"

"_Hey_!" Danny objected sharply. "That's my mom you're talking about!"

"I'm going to _kill you_!" Granz roared, whipping his zanpakutou around. "Tsukikudake, Del Toro!"

"Tsuki—_what_?" Danny gaped as Granz's figure suddenly morphed into that resembling a large grayish-colored bull with blonde hair sticking out the back. "Wait." He looked back at Chad. "Did he say tsukibull? Because that looks like a bull to me."

Chad simply stared, not quite able to believe Danny's ability to joke in this kind of a situation.

Granz shared the same opinion. "We'll see if you're still able to joke after this, Fantomu!"

"Dude, no offense meant but you _do_ realize that you look like a bull, right? A really malformed bull?" Although Danny looked positively innocent, his tone of voice suggested that every offense was meant.

Granz gave an enraged roar and straight for the half-ghost. Chad let out an alarmed shout but Danny flew straight at the bull, putting his head down and meeting the monster with a flash of green energy. The impact sent him flying away and leaving Granz look slightly dazed.

Danny landed next to Chad with a crash. "Owww." Slowly sitting up, he placed a hand on his head, dazedly looking over at where Granz was. "Note to self," he muttered, "don't fly headfirst into charging bulls."

"Are you all right?" Chad asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," Danny said, feeling his head clear as his healing ability kicked in. "But the other guy might not be."

"You need help," Chad said.

"From who?" Danny stared incredulously at him. "No offense but your arm is wrecked. Unless you can magically pull ace healing abilities out of your hat, I don't think you'll be doing anything anytime soon with that arm."

Sighing heavily, Chad acknowledged the truth in Danny's words.

"Besides," Danny continued, getting to his feet, "I've faced tougher opponents. Plasmius could probably take on this guy with no problem."

Chad wondered who Plasmius was but decided that at the moment wasn't the right time to ask. Granz was gearing up for another attack. He sat back on his heels, supporting his weight with his uninjured arm. Then he felt a sudden fluctuation in a very familiar reiatsu around him.

His head snapped around. "Inoue!"

Danny cocked his head. "Inoue?" Realization dawned on his face. "Inoue Orihime, you mean?"

"She's in trouble!" Chad said, struggling to get to his feet. He fell to his knees, unable to muster the strength to run to his friend's side the way he wanted to. But what could he do anyway?

Danny chewed his lip in thought. He was unable to formulate a proper plan as Granz charged right for him. Alarmed, all Danny could do was dodge to the side, zipping around as he did to make the chase harder.

He ended up making the chase ridiculously easy by nearly crashing into a mailbox because he wasn't watching where he was going – a negligible action on his part that he should never_ ever _repeat or talk about in the presence of his friends. The sudden hesitation cost him as Granz charged right at him, making a painful collision that sent him flying through the air. He had no time to recover as the bull hit him again, sending him right into an apartment and on top of something unusually soft.

Danny was incapable of making any sounds at first as his body was still protesting at the rough treatment it had just endured. But that was only for a couple of seconds as adrenaline kick started his healing and allowed him to sit on what he had been lying on. He blinked when he realized he was lying on a large body and staring right at a very flustered Orihime.

"Hi!" he managed to say in a rather bright voice. "Did I just crash-land on somebody?"

All Orihime did was nod slowly. Danny noticed the three fairies flying by her head. "Are those fairies?" he asked, still sitting on whoever he had landed on. His body still hurt and that was more than enough reason to continue sitting on this guy, who was presumably the cause for Orihime's wrecked apartment. He had _much_ too soft of a landing to think that he was the cause of the demolished walls.

"They're my friends," Orihime finally said. A trickle of blood drifted down her hairline and she rubbed it away, wincing. "You just landed on the person who attacked me."

Danny noticed a sudden shift in his seat and flew off before he could hurt himself some more. At the moment that Orihime's attacker got to his feet, the bull also arrived, snorting furiously at Danny's apparently uninjured state. All the ghost teen did was stick his tongue out and teasingly wave a hand.

Granz spoke, glaring at Danny. "Well, Grindina? Shall we crush the two of them?"

The huge man called Grindina simply looked impassively at the two. That was enough for Granz, who gave a bull-ish grin. "This is going to be fun."

Danny glanced askance at Orihime. "You any good at fighting?"

"N-no," Orihime said, swallowing. "But I can shield."

He stepped in front of her, his fists flaring green. "I'll deal with the fighting then. Maybe we can give these guys a butt kicking they won't soon forget."

Orihime couldn't even give a "yes" before they were attacked by the two. But she confirmed vocally in a different manner:

"_Santen Kesshun_!"

* * *

**OMAKE, OMAKE, OMAKE! After this author's note is going to be a small omake! I hope you enjoy it.**

** See what I mean? That entire wait and a cliffie! I'm so evil… XD In any case, how did you like the chapter? Let me know in a REVIEW! As said before, I'm swamped with schoolwork so I don't know when I can update next. In any case, rest assured, I will never abandon this story. My muse might dry up (like it did here) or it will run with the fire of a thousand suns and have me write like a maniac (which I did for the last two days).**

** One small note: Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow will run par with the manga so I won't be writing that. If you want to see it again, read the manga chapters or find the episode/s where it takes place. In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

** Now for the omake!**

* * *

"The probability of being safe here is approximately sixty-five percent," the small white-haired child muttered, hiding in a trash can. The lid was positioned over his head but did little to hide him since his head was poking out.

"You know that your head is poking out of that can and that it isn't going to work, right?" the black-haired man said irritably.

"The probability of an Arrancar finding you is eighty percent," the gikon in Hitsugaya Toushirou's gigai shot back.

The gikon known as Gringo rolled his eyes with Kuchiki Byakuya's gigai, an action that looked completely strange on the normally somber man's face. "Jeez," he sighed exasperatedly. "You're hopeless, yorosh."

In a corner of the alleyway two females were giggling like complete maniacs. Soifon's gigai was still completely drunk and the hyperactive gikon wasn't helping. Shinobu's Chappy gikon wasn't helping matters by acting the opposite of sober and egging the other one on.

"Come on, pyon!"

"No!" There was a manic giggle and Chappy #1 in Soifon's gigai nearly collapsed against Chappy #2.

Gringo looked over at them rather warily, not trusting the hyperactive (and drunk) gikons. His fear was well-founded when Chappy #1 suddenly looked rather leeringly at him.

He gulped. "Er…King? What are the chances of me not getting caught by running away?"

"Five percent," was the instant and muffled reply.

Gringo gritted his teeth as Chappy #1 _and_ #2 approached him. "And if I dump you out of that?"

"Zero."

Quickly thinking over his options, Gringo took the only one feasible to him: he ran. After him were two madly giggling gigais that were intent on getting a piece of the insanely hot guy in their midst.

King simply hid his head in the trash can. "The probability of not being found here is eighty-five percent…"

* * *

**Edit (03/01/11):** Thanks to _Kai-Chan94_ and _mist shadow_ for pointing out that Byakuya is captain of the _sixth_ division, not the fifth! I really can't believe I missed that. -.-


	26. Arrancar Invasion Part 2

**You guys know the drill by now. REVIEW and let me know what you think of this chapter! Lots of action and then the conclusion! As one reviewer said, it ends...well...find out for yourself!  
**

**Thanks to _Kai-chan94, Kori Neko Tenshi, Brad W, Hyperpegasi, Leo112, Riqis Inna Sunja, mist shadow, SpartanCommander, Hanzo of the Salamander, Talk Bubble, Mak8907, Garnet Sky,_ and _Pulsor93_ for reviewing the last chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Bleach_ nor _Danny Phantom_.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Arrancar Invasion Part 2**

* * *

"_**Santen Kesshun**__!"_

Danny was shocked by the appearance of a triangular shaped orange shield that appeared before him, repelling the two attackers. "Huh?"

The shield dissipated and Orihime stepped next to him. "They can form a shield that repels," she explained. "It's the best I can do."

Danny nodded, eyes not leaving the two enemies. "Got it. Watch out when you use it."

With that rather cryptic statement, Danny launched a series of green disks at the monsters. As he expected, they both dodged, letting his attack slam into the floor and create gaping holes. Before they could gain the upper hand on him, he closed his eyes, concentrated, and spun once.

A spiral of green energy surged outward through the air, this time hitting both of them. Moving immediately, he followed it up with two well-placed and powerful ecto-blasts. The one hitting Granz pushed him back several feet while the one hitting Gridina slammed the bulky man right out of the room and into the outside out of sight.

"Did _not_ expect that," Danny muttered, eyebrows raised in surprise. When there was a sudden explosion of sound and a huge monster jumped onto the edge of the room, he sighed. "But I _sorta_ expected that."

The new monster was as round as a ball and had the same grayish coloring as Granz. The mask on its face was the full copy of the one that had been on Grindina's face. To be honest, it reminded Danny of a bowling ball. He suspected that it acted like one, too.

"What just happened?" Orihime asked, stunned.

"I think he transformed like the other guy did," Danny answered, spreading his feet apart. "I just can't make up my mind which one looks stupider."

His casual remark elicited enraged responses from both released Arrancar and they charged for him. Well, Granz did. Grindina catapulted like a bowling ball.

Danny didn't move, something which alarmed his companion. Orihime began the incantation, abruptly breaking off when a green shield snapped into place and held firm as both Arrancar slammed into it and bounced off, green sparks flying. Danny's feet slid back an inch but he held firm.

The two Arrancar were unable to regain their bearings quickly enough, meaning that Danny was well able to drop the shield and send an arc of ectoplasmic energy shooting their way. Its range widened with distance and hit Granz and Grindina, slamming them into the walls and knocking them down.

"Quick question: do you have any neighbors?"

Orihime bit her lip. "I live in an apartment complex."

Danny rubbed the side of his head agitatedly, eyes flashing over the room for something he could do. "If that's the case, why haven't they gotten up?"

"They're university students," Orihime said. "I think they're on campus."

Danny stared at her for a long moment, not minding the fact that the two Arrancar were getting up. "So you _don't_ have any neighbors at the moment."

"No?" was all Orihime offered, eyes fixed on the looming Arrancar.

"Sweet!" Danny vanished from sight and snatched Grindina's leg, lifting him up with seemingly no effort at all. The half-ghost phased through the ceiling, still holding the massive monster, and swung him into the bull, letting go of Grindina's leg as he did. The momentum sent the two flying out of the apartment again. He poked his head through the ceiling. "I'm heading outside, okay? Keep a hand on that shield."

Then he sank completely through the ceiling and bolted outside, leaving Orihime behind in her apartment. He stopped once outside of the apartment to see that the two Arrancar had gotten to their feet and were glaring at him. Narrowing his eyes, Danny quickly scanned the empty street and formed a hasty plan that he hoped he could pull off.

Just as Granz let out a bellow and disappeared from sight, Danny duplicated into two. One immediately spun around and punched the reappearing Granz out from the air; the bull had appeared behind him with a clap of sound. Not missing a beat, Danny #2 spun around, grabbing Danny by the arm and using his momentum to swing the original half-ghost towards Granz in a blaze of green energy.

'_I really hope this doesn't hurt._'

With a powerful _boom!_, Danny hit his mark and left a small crater in the street. He bounced off of Granz and slid to a halt ten feet away, clutching his pounding head as he struggled into a sitting position. Luckily, his hold on his duplicate didn't waver and Danny #2 used the opportunity to attack Grindina with several ecto-balls.

The green balls of energy bounced harmlessly off Grindina's tough exterior; the only hint that the Arrancar was even bothered was the narrowing of the eyes as he glared at Danny #2. Suddenly, he curled into a ball and exploded off the ground. It was all the duplicate could do to turn intangible in time for the literal cannonball to fly through him.

Head still spinning, Danny forced himself to concentrate on the dazed Granz that was very slowly emerging from the crater. '_Damn. He just won't stay down!_'

Aware that he was running dangerously low on energy at this point, Danny forced himself to create a third duplicate. He had to try and finish this one off before dealing with the other one…somehow.

The duplicate held out his hand with his palm facing Danny; the original copied the motion. Two glowing ecto-balls began growing in size and merging into one. Still feeding energy to the ball, it took only another five seconds for the attack to grow into a size resembling that of Grindina, who had stopped rolling in midair to be nailed with an ecto-beam by Danny #2.

Groaning softly under the strain that the attack was putting on his body, Danny and his duplicate swung the ball back slightly before letting it go and aiming it directly towards Granz, who had just regained enough coherence to realize the danger he was in. By that time it was too late as the attack hit him head on, causing another loud _boom!_ as the ecto-ball threw the bull backwards.

Panting heavily, Danny reabsorbed the third duplicate and held a shaky hand to his forehead. It was all he could do to hold his second duplicate, which was currently freezing the air under Grindina to guide the recklessly moving Arrancar. The slide Danny #2 created led the cannonball to crash into the street with another resounding crash that shook the earth beneath Danny's feet.

That was when he lost control and Danny #2 disappeared in a haze of green. '_Aargh… It hurts…_' Danny's breath was still coming hard and he warily stood his ground as he waited to see if the Arrancar would reappear. '_God, I hope not._'

His silent plead went unanswered as Granz laboriously emerged from the second crater he had caused earlier. He was covered with blood and limping badly but was still raring to go. Only a short distance away Grindina was also emerging from his crater. He seemed virtually unscathed.

"Oh come _on_!" Danny shouted breathlessly, gaping in dismay at the sight before him. "You have_ got_ to be kidding me! You guys are _still_ conscious?"

No freaking way. He'd practically exhausted his energy reserves and didn't think he could do anything aside from tossing a couple more low-powered ecto-beams and going invisible and intangible. He could always outfly them but how would that fix the problem of them causing more damage?

Granz snorted angrily, his eyes narrowing in on the exhausted white-haired teen. Danny shakily took to the air, hands clenching into fists. One thing he had learned through his years of ghost fighting that it was best not to reveal weakness.

But it was hard when his whole body was screaming in protest. He hadn't taken much of a beating in comparison but had really wasted his energy on high-powered attacks.

When Grindina began barreling towards him again, it was all Danny could do to stop himself from groaning in exhaustion. Then he gaped as a red beam diagonally struck Grindina and threw the monster off course. A second beam hit Granz head on and threw him into the sidewalk.

Shocked, Danny's green eyes went up towards the shopkeeper that had appeared. "Urahara!"

"Fantomu-san," Urahara acknowledged, stepping onto the street in front of him.

"Why…?"

"Your friends called," Urahara explained swiftly, keeping his eyes on the two enemies, which were slowly getting to their feet. "You should go now."

"But—"

"I'll take care of them but you need to go. Soul Society is here and will be coming here soon. You need to leave before that."

Danny found that he really couldn't say anything to that. Besides, he was so exhausted he figured he'd be more of a burden than a help at the moment. He shot a look at Orihime's apartment and saw that she had run out onto the street. Shooting her a wave, he disappeared from view and took off for his friends.

They were going to be pissed.

* * *

Once Danny left, it took Urahara only five seconds to size up the situation and mount an offensive on the Arrancar. It really wouldn't do at all for Soul Society to arrive and hear the Arrancar complaining about the ghost that had completely run them down.

Benihime's red attack cut across their path once again, flinging them backwards into a brown fence. But before Urahara could finish off the job, two shinigami arrived on the scene: Byakuya and a petite girl with a rather feeble reiatsu in comparison to the taichou.

Urahara promptly plastered a cheery smile on his face. "Kuchiki-taichou!" he sang in a cheery voice, waving to the stoic man. "How nice to see you on this lovely night!"

The girl looked at Byakuya and pointed directly at the shopkeeper. "Who's he?"

Urahara couldn't stop himself from disappointedly deflating but he kept the smile.

"Urahara Kisuke," Byakuya responded shortly, not bothering to respond to Urahara's greeting.

The girl's eyes widened. "_Oh_." Her eyes narrowed and she gave Urahara a closer look. The shopkeeper could tell that Soifon's hand was on this shinigami.

Further conversation was cut off as two extremely pissed Arrancar emerged from the wreckage of the brown fence. Make that pissed and exhausted; neither of them looked able enough to be putting up a good fight.

"Wow. They look bad," the girl noted.

"Thank you!" Urahara said graciously. Truthfully, he couldn't even accept most of the credit. He eyed Byakuya. "Would you like to do the honors, Kuchiki-taichou?"

"Hnh." Byakuya held up his zanpakutou. "Chire, Senbonzakura." His blade promptly disappeared into a flurry of shiny pink petals. "Shinobu, step back."

"Yes, taichou!" Shinobu took several steps back as the two men stepped forward.

As it turned out, Urahara didn't even need to do anything. Byakuya quickly demolished the two exhausted Arrancar with nothing but his zanpakutou's shikai. When the pink cloud dissipated and rematerialized into a blade, there was nothing left in the street but vanishing spiritual particles.

"Excellent!" Urahara said, beaming. He sealed Benihime and sheathed it. "Now, I assume you are here for something else considering your prompt arrival?"

Neither of them responded immediately.

Shinobu had a rather pensive look on her face before she said, "What's that weird reiatsu?"

"That would be me," Urahara said brightly without missing a beat.

"I know how _yours_ feels," Shinobu said dismissively. "I'm talking about this other reiatsu."

"It's the Arrancar's," Byakuya said stonily.

Shinobu shook her head much more respectfully now. "No, taichou. I felt theirs. This is different."

"You mean Inoue-san's?" Urahara asked, pointing to the orange-haired girl that had appeared by his side.

"Hi!" she said brightly, waving to the shinigami.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Shinobu demanded, hands on her hips. "It's not hers either! I'm talking about a different reiatsu that I'm feeling!"

"I don't sense anything," Byakuya said.

"Then who did that?" Shinobu gestured frantically at the gleaming ice slide that was prominently displayed in the sky.

"I did," Urahara claimed, inclining his head.

"_You_? There's no kidou that does that!"

"I'm in the middle of inventing one," Urahara said, grinning broadly. "It did come quite in handy."

"Prove it," Shinobu said, glaring at him defiantly.

Urahara pondered that for a moment as if he was seriously considering it. Of course, there was no kidou that would produce ice. But for Danny's sake, he still had to pretend.

Finally, he just gave a big shrug. "Sorry! I'm fresh out of energy. Perhaps later?"

Shinobu gaped at him, as he was still as sprightly as ever. She turned to Byakuya. "Taichou!"

Byakuya seemed to return to the conversation. "Hmm?"

Shinobu looked like she was going to cry in dismay. "Oh come _on_! You weren't even paying attention, taichou?"

Byakuya simply turned around. "Your taichou is waiting."

"_Whaaaa_—?" Shinobu gaped after the retreating taichou's back. She shot Urahara and Orihime a last confused glance before darting after him.

"What was that?" Orihime wondered quietly, perturbed.

A small smile played at Urahara's lips. "It would seem that Danny-san has an ally on his side."

* * *

"_Getsuga tenshou_!" The black and red attack arced through the air and barreled into the Arrancar, who had raised his arms in a cross to shield himself.

The attack dissipated after hitting him, leaving him looking down at a panting Ichigo who had pulled out the attack in a last-ditch effort to prevent himself from getting killed. He hadn't wanted to do so, remembering what had happened with Vortex, but had been forced to since Grimmjow was relentless. Maybe if he'd kept off the taunts it wouldn't have gotten so bad.

Either way, he was now subject to a growing pressure on his mind as his inner hollow rose to the forefront. His left eye began turning black and he gripped the side of his head in an effort to keep the damn thing back.

His mental efforts didn't block Grimmjow's incredulous words: "What was that, shinigami?" His arms dropped to the side, revealing a pink scar that now marred his torso diagonally. "Looks like you're worth killing even more now!"

'_Shit._' Ichigo grit his teeth and pushed back at his inner hollow, who was cackling gleefully. '_Unless you want us to die, shut the hell up and stay away!_'

His words did nothing to deter the white-faced menace. "_Come on, Ichigo! I could finish this fight in an instant!_"

'_I said shut up!_'

"But it looks like you can only pull out two or three more of those attacks," Grimmjow continued, sneering.

Ichigo glared at him, a trickle of blood flowing down his temple. His entire body was beaten up from the brutal beating it had taken under the hands of Grimmjow. He inhaled sharply and pointed Tensa Zangetsu at the arrogant Arrancar. "Don't talk about what you don't understand!"

Grimmjow scoffed, hand moving to his zanpakutou's hilt. "I might not understand you but I can tell that your body can't stand more of that. You're so weak you can barely stand!"

'_So why does he say that I'm worth killing __**now**__?_' Ichigo wondered, still glaring at him.

"But like I said, I'm going to kill you now!" Grimmjow said gleefully.

The words popped out of Ichigo's mouth before he could stop them. "You never said that." He promptly grimaced, not minding the fact that half of his eye was now displaying a yellow iris.

An angry tick mark appeared at Grimmjow's temple at Ichigo's blasé reply. Quite honestly, he just couldn't believe that Soul Society's substitute shinigami had such a smart mouth. From what he'd heard, Ichigo wasn't one for witty retorts. But then again, he hadn't really heard much.

"You know, you just piss me off!" Grimmjow roared, about to pull his zanpaktou out. He was abruptly stopped by a brown hand that latched onto his with threatening finality.

"That is enough, Grimmjow," Kaname Tousen said. His stony face was even stonier than usual.

"K-Kaname!" Grimmjow's blue eyes showed a hint of fear even though his face was still set in a mask of rage. "What are you—"

"Aizen-sama is most displeased," Kaname said, cutting him off. "What did you think you were doing?"

Grimmjow balled his hand into a fist but said nothing. When Kaname slackened his grip, Grimmjow wrenched his arm away and sneered, eyes flicking down towards a rather surprised Ichigo.

"Your Fraccion are dead," Kaname continued when it was evident that Grimmjow would say nothing. "It is time to go back."

Without another word, the blind ex-taichou turned to the side and touched the air in front of him. The sky slid apart like puzzle pieces to reveal a black chasm.

Ichigo seemed to realize that Grimmjow was leaving. "_Hey_! Where do you think you're going? We weren't done!"

"Don't shit yourself," Grimmjow said, looking down his nose at the substitute shinigami. "You can barely stand. Not to worry; we'll see each other again."

The threatening promise hung in the air as the portal closed behind the two spiritual beings.

Yet Ichigo scarcely had a moment to himself as a voice called out, "Kurosaki!"

He turned his head to the side to see Hitsugaya and Soifon land on the street. He made sure to keep his side profile all that they saw, as he wasn't sure whether any trace of his hollow could still be seen. Since Kaname had arrived, the bastard had drawn back into silence but his aura still lingered as a pulse behind his left eye.

"What the hell happened?" Soifon demanded, her eyes scanning the wrecked street.

"What does it _look_ like?" Ichigo shot back.

"You look like hell," Hitsugaya offered.

"That's not what I meant!"

"I know," Hitsugaya said, his face not giving away any traces of amusement. "Who did you fight?"

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," Ichigo said. "Sexta Espada or something like that."

"Six?" Soifon muttered, her eyes narrowing. "What happened?"

"Déjà vu. Didn't you _just_ ask me that?" Ichigo turned fully to face them as all lingering traces of his inner hollow were by now completely gone.

Soifon glared at him. "Kuro—"

"Do you know what he was after?" Hitsugaya interrupted.

Ichigo mentally ran over the fight in his head and shook his head. "No."

"Do you have any _useful_ information?" Soifon groused, a hand on her hip.

"Do I look like a walking encyclopedia?" Ichigo said sarcastically. "If I knew anything else, I'd tell you. But you should probably know that Kaname Tousen came to fetch him. Apparently, Aizen isn't happy that he came here."

"So Aizen doesn't have his pets on a leash?" Soifon said slowly.

"I wouldn't call him a _pet_ exactly," Ichigo contradicted, stony-faced in the path of Soifon's murderous glare.

"If you have nothing to do other than shoot snarky insults our way, we'll leave, Kurosaki," Soifon said snidely.

"You should get your head looked at," Hitsugaya said after Soifon left.

"Hn." Ichigo didn't let his weariness show until after the white-haired boy left. Then he let himself exhale slowly and look somberly at the guard of his zanpakutou.

Damn… And here he'd thought that he could manage his inner hollow on his own after all. He'd have to go and seek out Shinji's offer of help, even though it was the last thing he wanted to be doing.

He really wasn't looking forward to that level of creepiness at all. Hopefully Shinji's other companions wouldn't be the same.

Aw… Who was he kidding? Knowing his luck, they were _all_ going to be equally creepy.

* * *

Danny was used to returning home to extremely worried relatives. In that case, it was because he'd skived off curfew yet again due to an overzealous ghost. Those relatives would also not be aware of his extracurricular activities. In this case, though, he was returning home to two worried friends who were fully aware of his ghost fighting business. They wouldn't be pacified by run-of-the-mill excuses.

Frankly, he'd take the ignorance of his relatives any day.

Danny phased through the window of their apartment, startling Sam and Tucker. Sam had been pacing back and forth from wall to wall; Danny could see a well-worn tread in the carpet. Tucker was staring aimlessly into the TV screen, which was off.

"Danny!" Sam bolted to his side. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He blew out a heavy breath, transforming back. '_Aside from near exhaustion…_'

"Good." Sam punched his shoulder.

"Ow!" Danny twisted away from her, rubbing his smarting shoulder. "What was that for?"

"For scaring us!" Sam snapped.

"We told you not to go!" Tucker added.

Danny took a step back, making sure to stay out of range of their hands. "You don't get it; I _had_ to go. Chad almost died!"

"It wasn't any of your business!" Sam argued. "You were supposed to let them handle it!"

"And if I _had_, Sam? If I had, Chad would have died and Orihime, too! I barely made it there on time to stop that one guy from skewering him!"

"What happened?" Tucker asked, breaking into the escalating fight.

Reminded of what had transpired earlier, Danny took a sharp breath and turned around, using the cover to tiredly rub his face.

"Danny?" Sam's voice was tentative now.

"I'm exhausted," he said flatly. "I fought a giant bowling ball and a bull. Neither of which stayed down whenever I hit them with something that would flatten an eighteen-wheeler."

Tucker frowned. "A bowling ball?"

Sam looked interested. "A bull?"

"It's nothing. Just something else that's weird and that I'll not miss when we eventually get back home."

"But we're _here_, Danny," Sam said slowly. "We're here and we don't know what you're fighting. It makes us sick with worrying."

"It's not like we can run after you and provide backup," Tucker pointed out. "We don't have the foggiest clue about this town's layout."

"And I'm glad for that," Danny said sharply. "These guys aren't a joke. You can't even see what you're fighting!"

"But that's the thing! They're _not_ a joke!" Sam folded her arms across her chest defiantly. "You don't have anymore experience fighting them than we do! They told us to stay out of it!"

"If I'd stayed out of it, Sam, then Chad and Orihime would be dead! I had a feeling – a really bad feeling that I couldn't put off." Danny shivered, remembering the visions he'd had as well. '_That and a couple of visions._'

Unaware of his thoughts, Sam swallowed resolutely, staring Danny right in the eye. "Better them than you, Danny. I'm sorry but it's true. And…no – I'm not even sorry! It's the truth! I don't _know_ them that well, Danny! _You're_ my best friend _and_ my boyfriend! What happens if you run off and get yourself killed because you couldn't _listen_?" Her voice wavered on the last word and her eyes looked suspiciously shiny.

Danny faltered, a heavy load sinking into his stomach. "Sam…"

"_Don't_ patronize me, Danny!" she snapped. "Don't!" Inhaling sharply, she turned around and faced the wall, her body shaking.

Danny looked helplessly at Tucker, who had wisely stayed out of the fight. The techno geek shrugged, the universal symbol for "She's _your_ girlfriend."

"We were worried, you know," Tucker said softly, rubbing his neck nervously. "But…I do get it. I'd…I"d feel the same way if it were me."

"If you were me, you mean?" Danny asked dryly.

"Heck no," Tucker joked. "What would you do without me?"

"Wonder what use PDAs have," Danny responded blandly. Then, sighing, he looked at Sam, who was still ignoring him and Tucker.

"It's your call," Tucker whispered, patting Danny's shoulder. Shooting his friend a small grin, Tucker slipped into the bedroom to give his friends a bit of privacy.

Frowning slightly, Danny slowly moved to Sam's side. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Absentmindely, he noted that she came up to his chin.

'_Wasn't she my height before?_' Shrugging it off, Danny pulled her towards him. "I'm sorry," he said softly. He wasn't – not really. He _was_ sorry that he'd worried Sam and Tucker but he wasn't sorry that he'd left and saved Chad's and Orihime's lives.

"But you'll still do it again," Sam mumbled, turning into Danny's shoulder.

"Well…yeah."

Sam gave a bitter laugh. "It's just who you are. I can't ask you to stop; it'd be like asking you to chop off an arm."

"I'd never do that," Danny assured her wryly. "Trust me; I'd tell you if you're asking something impossible of me."

"Like asking you to please not do that again?" Sam asked resignedly.

"Like that," Danny said wearily. "If I can do something, Sam, I'm not going to back off. It'd be a crime to not help."

"Well…" Sam drew back slightly to look him in the face. A small smile graced her lips. "I knew what I was getting into by agreeing to be your girlfriend."

"So we're good?"

"For now," Sam confirmed. She frowned slightly, drawing back more.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"So _that's_ what they call a growth spurt…"

* * *

**The next day…**

The red-haired woman standing outside the building was frowning, tapping her chin thoughtfully as her greenish eyes narrowed from behind narrow black glasses that could pass for sunglasses. One foot was tapping the ground.

After a moment, she shifted her position so that most of her weight was on one leg and her hands were on her hips. She still had her eyes narrowed as she scanned the inconspicuous looking building from head to toe.

Inwardly, though, she was amused. She'd already had a fine time the previous night what with all the chaos. After all, with chaos came misery and she just _thrived_ on misery. Especially now that—

She ejected that thought out of her head. Right now she had to concentrate on what she was going to do. All right so that was a hyperbole: she already knew what she was going to do; she was just waiting.

And whatever she was waiting for arrived with the hurried departure of an orange-haired teenager. He was running pell-mell down the street with a loud obnoxious noise accompanying him.

Her eyes followed him, a small smirk curving her lips. '_Bingo._' She could now put her plan into effect.

Confidently tossing her head, she strode down the street and walked directly into the house through a glass door. She smirked again before she entered the room. This was going to be _perfect_.

Meanwhile, inside the room the woman was planning to enter, Kurosaki Isshin was scribbling things down on a clipboard. He had his white medical coat on. He was interrupted from his work with the arrival of a smooth and sultry voice.

"I'm here for the help sign outside."

Isshin turned around. "There is no help – _whooaaa_." He blinked in shock and surprise at the vision before his eyes.

She was wearing work clothes, although her red blouse was so low cut that it showed more cleavage than necessary. She had a small black jacket over it that showed off her slim figure. Her black skirt was so short that it was half a foot above her knees. Her eyes were covered by dark glasses that reflected the glare from the lights; they were small enough that her greenish eyes were visible.

Isshin was broken out of his "beautiful woman" daze when she prompted, "Yes?"

"Errr…" He struggled to get his thoughts in order. Who cared that he didn't have a help sign outside his clinic? The woman was beautiful! And sexy. That also worked. "What's your name?"

The woman beamed broadly. "Penelope Spectra." She moved to sit down in a chair directly across from him. Her voice was low and sultry as she said, "And you're Kurosaki Isshin, I presume?" The twinkle in her eyes made it clear that she already knew but was simply asking to flirt.

Isshin had to clear his throat before he could speak. "That I am." He registered the name she had given and the accent she spoke with. "Are you a foreigner?"

Spectra seemed to shrink in on herself. "I'm new to Japan," she admitted with a rather hesitant tone in her voice. "I moved because of financial difficulties. But I _assure_ you"—she moved her hand to brush back a stray lock of hair and pat it back into place—"I'm very well versed in medicine." Her movement had served to draw her elbow closer to her breasts, thus serving to squeeze them closer.

The sight didn't go unnoticed by Isshin, who gulped noticeably. "What kind?" was all he managed to ask.

Spectra's eyes brightened. "_Any_ kind," she affirmed, blinking innocently. "Would you need help with psychiatry by any chance?" She crossed her legs, adjusting her skirt as she did.

Isshin's eyes involuntarily flicked downward as she performed the movement. It was only after he gulped again that Spectra knew she had him hook, line, and sinker.

Human men were _so_ predictable.

* * *

Danny was well aware that he was risking life and limb by sneaking back to the high school where Ichigo and his friends attended school. On the plus side, his friends weren't aware of this escapade of his because of the duplicate currently eating lunch with them.

'_They won't ever find out about this_,' he reasoned. '_Besides, I need some answers. How else am I supposed to get them?_' Somehow, he didn't think Urahara would be very likely to answer them. He was an _adult_.

No one would see him anyway. Being invisible certainly had its perks, including being able to walk through the halls without anyone being the wiser.

Now if luck was on his side, he'd be able to find Orihime. She was the safest bet. Uryuu wasn't likely to answer his questions as he reminded Danny of a stuck-up prig. Chad was probably too injured to be in school. Ichigo was a shinigami and thus off the list because other shinigamis were more likely to be around him. That left Orihime, who was sweet and more likely to answer his questions.

Danny sighed, frustrated, as the fifth classroom he checked didn't turn up Orihime. He mulled over the options where Orihime was likely to eat lunch.

'_Maybe the roof?_' Thinking it couldn't hurt to check, Danny floated up through the ceiling and the next floor to make his way to the roof. He was satisfied to see that he'd hit the jackpot when he saw Orihime sitting with a group of kids.

Seeing that they were occupied at the moment, Danny leaned against the railing, waiting until he could get her alone. Since he was alone and completely bored, Danny's thoughts turned to his home world.

'_I really hope they're doing all right. Last I heard, it was completely overrun with hollows. Knowing that cheesehead, Vlad hasn't done anything about it. But where would that leave him as the mayor?_' Danny tapped a finger against the cool metal. '_He's probably the only one who can see them aside from the other ghosts._'

The ball of worry that had remained with him since he'd initially arrived in this strange universe suddenly gained another ten pounds. Mentally groaning, Danny dropped his head back to watch the fluffy white clouds drift by overhead.

'_What the hell am I supposed to do? Sit around here and hope it all works out for the best? I can't even get a break here! Those monsters were looking for __**me**__._'

Lost in his thoughts as he was, Danny almost missed seeing Orihime leave. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he followed. Once back in the building, he grabbed a startled Orihime's arm and pulled them into a nearby broom closet.

"Ee—" Orihime's startled scream was cut off with Danny clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Shh! It's just me, Orihime."

"Danny?" Orihime whispered.

Danny flickered back into view, lighting a small ecto-ball to shed some light into the closet. The light cast them both in green relief. "Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I know I'm not supposed to be here," Danny said quickly. "But I had some questions about last night."

Orihime's eyes darted towards the closed door and back to Danny. "What about?"

"What were those monsters? I've been here long enough to know that was _not_ normal."

"It wasn't," she confirmed. "They're Arrancar."

"Arrancar? So not hollows?"

"They're a…type of hollow," Orihime said slowly. "I'm not quite sure either what they are. Urahara-san said they're something Aizen created."

"That evil dude Soul Society is after?"

"Yes."

"Drat," Danny muttered. "So _he_ knows I'm here, too?"

"It's more definite since you actually came to help last night," Orihime offered.

Danny looked at her tiredly. "Are you going to tell me I should've stayed away?"

"You shouldn't have," Orihime said, playing with a strand of hair. "It would've been all right."

"How's Chad doing?"

Orihime blinked at the sudden change in subject. "All right. I healed his arm but he's out of school for today."

Danny eyed Orihime rather speculatively but didn't comment. If she had any other powers aside from shielding, it wasn't really any of his business.

"But, Danny…"

"Hm?"

"I _am_ glad that you were there," Orihime said fervently. "It wouldn't have turned out the same way if you hadn't shown up. So…thank you."

Danny was taken aback at the sincere thanks. "Er…you're welcome."

"But it would have been safer if you _hadn't_ come," Orihime continued.

"Safer for me you mean."

"It's dangerous," Orihime agreed.

Danny gave a short laugh. "If I hadn't come, Orihime, I'd be wondering if anything I could've done would've saved you. Trust me – it was better this way."

Orihime wrapped her arms around herself, a nervous gesture. "Lunch is over."

"Hnh… So it is." Danny inclined his head. "All right. I'll see you later then."

Before he could leave, though, someone knocked against the door. "Hey, lovebirds! Out of the closet!"

Danny and Orihime blushed beet red. Giving one last wave, Danny extinguished the ecto-ball and made an exit via the roof, transforming into his ghost half as he did.

He was relatively sure Orihime could make up an excuse as to why she was in a broom closet. He stayed behind to see if he was right.

"Huh? It's just you?"

"Oh, hi! You mean this wasn't the bathroom?"

Danny stifled a snicker. He shouldn't have worried.

* * *

"They didn't see him at all then?"

"No. Fortunately, their call came in time so that I could warn him and intercept Soul Society."

Yoruichi sighed, leaning back on her hands. Her knees were sprawled with one facing the ceiling and the other facing a wall. "I figured that Danny had some tentative potential allies in Soul Society. I didn't expect it to actually take this form."

"The form of a taichou not helping at all?" Urahara asked, amused.

"Lucky for us," Yoruichi noted. "What did you think about last night?"

"It's worrying," Urahara said, "to think that Aizen has already made his move at such an early point…"

Yoruichi cocked her head to the side, inspecting her longtime friend critically. "But that's not what has you worried. Come one, Kisuke, 'fess up. What's got you worried?"

"There were many reiatsu signatures last night," Urahara started slowly, his fan resting on the table between him and Yoruichi. "I attributed several to the Arrancar and the others I was familiar with. But there was one that was completely unfamiliar…"

"Another Arrancar?"

"No, this was weak." Urahara tapped his fan against the grained wood. "I don't quite understand how it's possible."

"What, Kisuke?"

"It came from Danny."

Yoruichi snapped to attention. "Are you sure?"

"It was not just me. One of the others noticed it as well. Fortunately, they were distracted enough that they didn't realize the source. But I wonder…how did he suddenly gain reiryoku?"

"Any ideas?"

Urahara flicked the fan open, pressing it to his mouth. "Maybe…"

* * *

**What'd you guys think? Let me know! I changed my mind about Ichigo's and Grimmjow's fight because of a review dropped by _SpartanCommander_ which made a lot of sense. So there's my spin on it.**

**By the way, I've uploaded a new story called A Tangled Phantom, which is a crossover between _Danny Phantom_ and _Tangled_. Needless to say, you might want to watch _Tangled_ before reading it. In any case, I hope you decide to check it out and drop a review! It's just four chapters long and I've already posted three.**

**Drop a REVIEW and let me know what you think of the recent developments!**


	27. The Calm Before the Storm

**Honestly, the chapter clocks in at under 12,000 words, not over 13,000. _Why_ the site's word count reader is always so screwy is just beyond me...**

**In any case, I did tell you that I'd update sooner this time, didn't I? Hope you guys like this chapter! I had fun writing it. The first part was a bit of a drag, admittedly, but I hit a roll later.**

**Drop a note and REVIEW! Let me know if you caught any mistakes in this chapter...  
**

**Thanks to _Kai-Chan94, Riqis Inna Sunja, Pulsor93, Hanzo of the Salamander, Kayla, arandomreviewer, SpartanCommander, Talk Bubble, Leo112, MangaMagic, Mak8907, _and _Evillevi_ for reviewing the last chapter!**

**_Kayla:_** Yes, you're right. Danny won't be happy at all. Glad you liked Orihime's excuse. XD

**_arandomreviewer:_** Can you lay off the spoon for now? I did update sooner!**  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I own neither _Danny Phantom_ nor _Bleach_.**

* * *

**Chapter 27: The Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

**Soul Society…**

The fukutaichou of soutaichou Yamamoto, Sasakibe Choujirou, sighed as he perused the papers the team in the human world had sent back just an hour ago. The reports were troubling in that they had found virtually no information on the half-ghost they were seeking. On the other hand, they had received a great deal information on the new Arrancar threat that was looming on the horizon.

But still…

Choujirou thought that Fantomu would have showed up to deal with the Arrancar in Karakura but he hadn't even shown a hair judging from the report. Neither he nor his friends had been anywhere present.

Placing the paper on his desk, Choujirou massaged the bridge of his nose in growing frustration. Not only had they failed to gather any new information on Fantomu, the other ghosts that were running rampant throughout Soul Society still hadn't been accounted for. Ever since Soifon had run into the ghosts in the Rukongai, they hadn't seen hide or tail of the ghosts.

Not that that said for much. They could turn _invisible_. For all he knew, a ghost was hiding behind him right now. Half-heartedly, Choujirou threw a glance over his shoulder, saw nothing, and turned his pupil-less eyes to the growing stack of papers on his desk.

Regardless, the ghosts weren't exactly his problem to deal with at the moment. He had a mountain of paperwork to deal with since the breakout of the ghosts and the subsequent deployment of Kuchiki, Hitsugaya, Soifon, and her subordinate in the human world. Now add the Arrancar attack on top of that and it led to several mounds of paperwork that were two feet tall that had to be filled out and read through.

Still musing over the ghost and Arrancar problem, Choujirou pulled the nearest stack of papers towards him and began reading through it.

He never noticed the cup of tea next to him rattling slightly, jostling the green liquid inside it.

* * *

Walker sighed disgustedly as he watched his goons slack off and laze around in the shade of the trees like worthless piles of dung. It wasn't really their fault: there was nothing to _do_. They were stuck in this strange realm with antagonistic shinigamis.

That brought him to the crux of the matter: Phantom still hadn't fulfilled his promise and gotten them out of this hellhole. Scowling, Walker's green eyes darkened imperceptibly as he considered the cocky white-haired teen ghost. Sure the plan had gone off without a hitch and he'd been free to deliver his own special brand of justice. But what was the use of that if he was chased off?

Gritting his teeth angrily, Walker cursed the spunky female that had driven him off several days ago. Since then, he and his men had been hanging out in the trees around the inhabited areas. It would soon be time to move again; he didn't want to be caught by the shinigamis that were no doubt still searching for them.

'_Should've known that Phantom's word was good for absolutely nothing,_' Walker thought sourly, giving Bullet a pointed look.

Receiving the message, Walker's second-in-command began to round up the goons. Within five minutes, they were all floating in front of Walker.

"We'll be heading out properly this time," Walker announced, his arms folded across his chest. "No more skulking around forests this time."

"What does that mean?" a goon asked.

"It means we're going out into the open!" Walker snapped, shooting the hapless goon a deadly glare. "Since _Phantom_"—he spat out the name—"obviously hasn't seen fit to follow through on his promise – not that I ever expected him to, mind you," the warden muttered darkly, "we have to move away from the enemy's stronghold."

"Aye," the goons chorused.

Walker dipped his head forward before shooting up through the branches. He was followed by a swarm of goons. Once above the canopy of trees, Walker flew away from the direction of the Rukongai towards what seemed like empty land.

He didn't need to look behind him to know that his goons and Bullet were following him. Now if the Box Ghost and the Fright Knight were still around he would have cause to worry. The Box Ghost was nothing more than a ridiculous nuisance but the Fright Knight was a very powerful ghost that he could never hold down with brute force.

The last he'd seen of the Fright Knight had been that short conversation they'd shared after escaping. The Box Ghost had disappeared hours before that and Walker couldn't help but wonder where the blue ghost had gotten himself to. The ghost was such an idiot it was a mystery that he hadn't gotten himself caught.

Bullet caught his attention now. "Do you really think Phantom forgot?" the ghost asked him quietly.

Walker snorted derisively. "Forgot? I'd say not. More like he never meant to do anything in the first place. He just set us up to take the fall."

"He sounded genuine," Bullet protested.

Walker eyed him incredulously. "He's a two-timing scoundrel who lies for a living. Of course he sounded genuine!"

Wisely, Bullet left the argument at that and withdrew to keep an eye on the goons. This left Walker alone to stew on his ugly thoughts.

'_That no good, two-timing, thieving, lying scoundrel. Should've known he was no good._' Walker ignored the tiny voice in the back of his head that pointed out that if it wasn't for that "lying scoundrel" they'd still be stuck in that tower. '_Now we're stuck here with no way back!_'

He was once again broken from his train of thought by Bullet's voice. "Walker!"

The warden glanced at Bullet to see him point downwards. His green eyes followed the finger and widened upon seeing the giant arms sticking out of the ground. There'd evidently been a banner hanging between them at one point but it lay in tatters on the ground.

"What in blazes is that?" Walker stopped abruptly in midair, considering the absurd sight on the ground.

"It looks like two arms," a goon offered.

"And a house," another goon added.

"I can see that, you imbeciles!" Walker snapped. "I'd like to know what idiot thinks it's suitable to have that…that eyesore sitting there!"

"The idiot that lives there?" the first goon said slowly, sounding confused.

Walker glared at the dumb ghost, unable to believe the stupidity of the being. "It was a rhetorical statement!"

Before the goon could open his mouth and dig his grave any deeper, another goon shoved him in the back, shutting him up.

"Do you want to check it out?" Bullet asked.

"We're far enough from those blasted shinigamis to go by our rules now," Walker said. "That _building_"—his tone made it clear he didn't even consider the thing a building—"is in clear violation of disturbing the scenery."

"Would you like us to surround it?"

"Of course. Perfect preparation in case they decide to resist."

Bullet gave a short nod and began to assign the goons to their positions. Stupid as they were in ordinary situations, they were perfect soldiers when push came to shove.

Resisting the urge to gleefully rub his hands together, Walker silently descended to the front door. While ordinarily he'd just barge in and arrest the inhabitants, this world was strange enough that he would follow common courtesy and knock.

When he did so, it took a minute before one of the largest men he had ever seen opened the door. Although disconcerted at the strange sight, Walker didn't let his surprise show on his white face. Instead, he stood straight and tall and stared the man right in the eye. To his pleasure, his solid green eyes and skeleton-like face made a flicker of surprise cross the other man's face.

"May I help you?" the man asked, his voice steady.

"I do believe you can," Walker said, sneering. "Are you the owner of this…fine establishment?"

The man blinked and threw the startled ghost a beaming smile. "That honor would belong to Shiba-san!"

Walker couldn't stop the furrowing of his brow. "Shiba-san?"

"Would you like to speak to her?"

Walker discreetly gave the signal for his goons to follow him inside while being invisible. "That would be preferable," he responded shortly, bringing his arms to the front and adjusting the cuffs of his suit.

"Come in!" The man stepped aside, allowing Walker to move through the doorway and enter the dark hallway. The man – Walker dubbed him Doorman – began to walk off. "It's this way."

Walker found himself walking down flights of stairs in absolute quiet. It left him time to wonder what kind of world this was that people didn't scream on sight at the appearance of a ghost. The people he had encountered earlier in that crime-riddled place had but he thought that was the exception rather than the norm. This man had certainly treated him ordinarily despite his initial surprise.

Walker was drawn out of his thoughts at the sound of voices. "That's it! These babies will be absolutely gorgeous once you're done with them!"

"I am not an apprentice," a different voice said stiffly.

"Of course you're not!" the first voice, a female, said cheerfully. "But your talents are useful as hell!"

"Naturally," the male voice said frostily.

"Oh come on, Frighty! Lighten up a tad, will you?"

"I told you: I am the Fright Knight. Either use my proper title or do not address me at all."

"Then what am I supposed to call you? Knight With No Face?"

"Kindly desist from insults."

"Fine, fine. You're no fun, Fright Knight."

Already stunned by the time Doorman led him to an open door that accessed a lighted room, Walker didn't find it utterly surprising to hear an annoyingly familiar third voice chime in. "I found a box!"

The feminine voice asked, "Is it empty? If it is, you can keep it. If not, then dump it right now."

The Box Ghost's grating voice was sulky. "It's a box."

"Drop it," the Fright Knight said in a dangerous tone. "I will not have a repetition of what occurred last time when you angered Nightmare."

By this time, Walker was clearly visible in the doorway as Doorman walked over to a seated woman dressed in rather revealing clothes. She was missing her right arm and white bandages were wrapped around her messy long brown hair.

"Shiba-san, another guest," Doorman said courteously, attracting Shiba's attention. "He wishes to speak to you."

The woman looked over to see Walker standing there, who was staring at the sight of the Fright Knight scolding a sulky Box Ghost, who had dropped a box on the ground. In the corner of the room was a familiar horse with bat wings. Around the ghost of Halloween were what looked like fireworks. A faint glow surrounded the things, showing that they were not ordinary fireworks.

"Boys!" Shiba called to the other ghosts. "You familiar with this guy?"

Distracted, the Fright Knight and the Box Ghost glanced over to lock eyes with Walker.

The ghost of Halloween responded first. "Walker! Did you succeed in your mission?"

"Did you find any boxes?" the Box Ghost asked, only to be whacked in the head with the Fright Knight's Soul Shredder. The blue-skinned ghost dropped to the ground to sit there, pouting furiously.

Walker didn't answer as Shiba spoke. "Guess that answers my question." She smirked devilishly. "Shiba Kuukaku," she introduced herself. "Judging from what the Fright Knight called you, I assume you're Walker?"

"That would be my name," Walker said, gathering what remained of his dignity to coolly step inside the room. "I didn't expect to see you two here," he addressed the other two ghosts. "And especially not in the same room."

"It was not planned," the Fright Knight admitted grudgingly. "I was looking for a place to seclude myself in when I encountered this…house"—his tone made it clear he also didn't approve of its appearance—"and was detained."

Kuukaku rolled her eyes, climbing to her feet. "Please, Fright Knight. You've been here for the last few days with absolutely no problem."

The Fright Knight stared at her icily. "Better here than out there with those ignorant bumblers."

"Right in one," Walker proclaimed, folding his arms. His gloved fingers rested against his biceps; he tapped his right index and middle fingers against his bicep twice, the signal for his guards and Bullet to drop their invisibility and become visible.

With that done, the formerly empty room suddenly became filled to the brim with uniformed goons and a ghost with an eye patch.

Kuukaku couldn't help but flinch slightly at the sudden appearance of so many ghosts. To their credit, the Fright Knight and the Box Ghost didn't do anything, having already expected this gesture from the warden. Doorman, on the other hand, went completely white.

"Oh, please," Walker snapped at the burly man. "You've been staying with two ghosts for the last couple of days. Surely you've seen them turn invisible?"

"Don't mind him," Kuukaku said curtly to Walker, waving her left hand in a dismissive gesture. "He'll adjust. I'm more curious about _you_. What have you been doing to get Soul Society's knickers in a twist?"

"Hiding," Walker answered briefly. "They chased us out."

Kuukaku had a nasty grin on her face. "That sounds like them all right. You at least give them hell?"

"Stupid idiots," Walker muttered. "Crime is _rampant_ in their jurisdiction and they don't give a darn!"

"That would be shinigamis for you," Kuukaku said leisurely. "They don't care much unless the matter deals with them directly."

Walker gave her a penetrating stare. "You don't care for them."

Kuukaku snorted. "'Course not! They led to the death of my brother. But they do serve their uses, I'll grant you that. One of my friends is a substitute shinigami and another is an ex-taichou. They're not all bad eggs."

"Eggs!" the Box Ghost suddenly shouted, jumping into the air. Without another word, the ghost flew through a wall, leaving a bemused silence in his wake.

Doorman seemed to realize what the Box Ghost's weird proclamation meant before anyone else. "My eggs!" he wailed, running out of the room at top speed.

Walker looked at the Fright Knight. "Has he suddenly become obsessed with eggs?"

"Egg cartons," was all the Fright Knight said.

"Ah," Walker said shortly, understanding now. At least they wouldn't have to call the Box Ghost by a ridiculous moniker such as the Egg Ghost. That would have been too much.

Kuukaku shook off the behavior of the Box Ghost, the practice of the last couple of days coming in handy. She turned to Walker. "You wanted to speak to me?"

Remembering the original intent of his mission, Walker drew himself up to his full height. "Your house violates the scenery," he said pompously, fixing her with a disapproving glare.

Kuukaku stared at him disbelievingly for a full minute before turning to the Fright Knight. "Is this guy serious?"

"Unfortunately," the armored ghost said laboriously. "He is the warden of the Ghost Zone and his rules are not exactly reasonable."

"_Reasonable_?" Walker seethed, glaring at the Fright Knight. "They keep order!"

"My apologies," the Fright Knight said sarcastically. "I did not realize that you running around and throwing ghosts into your prison – what do they say nowadays? Ah, yes – 'willy-nilly' was conducive to creating order."

"They violated the rules," Walker blustered.

"Breathing too loudly?"

"I do believe that I don't have to explain myself to _you_," Walker said snottily. "You're the one hiding away in Pariah's Keep!"

"I could come haunt your prison," the Fright Knight threatened darkly, "and leave the sarcophagus unguarded. Perhaps that would suit you?"

Walker blanched, which looked strange on his already white face. "Don't!"

The Fright Knight seemed satisfied. "I thought so."

Kuukaku seemed to sense that Walker would let the issue of her house drop. A wry grin pulled at her lips. "What tricks do you have up your sleeve?" she asked the warden. "Fright Knight over here has already been helping out with my stocks."

Walker cast an eye over the fireworks lying on the ground. "As I noted." His voice became sneering. "Stooped so low as to do a mere apprentice's work, Fright Knight?"

The Fright Knight's eyes narrowed and he took a menacing step forward. "You _dare_—"

The potential brawl was broken by the arrival of Doorman, who had a disgruntled Box Ghost in one hand. "Shiba-san, Yoruichi-san is here."

Kuukaku's face broke out into a genuine smile. "Yoruichi!"

Walker and the Fright Knight looked behind Doorman, expecting to see someone come in after the burly man. The warden blinked when a _second_ Doorman followed after the first. Was this Yoruichi?

"How are you doing, Yoruichi?" Kuukaku asked cheerfully.

"Just fine, Kuukaku," a distinctly male voice said that did not come from Doorman #2. In fact, it was coming from the floor.

Walker's eyes drifted down and widened upon seeing a black cat with yellow eyes languidly walk into the room, tail twitching proudly. To his credit, he didn't say anything to indicate his complete ignorance of such a feat.

His goons weren't so smart.

"A talking cat?" one of them exclaimed.

"You see talking shadows," the Fright Knight pointed out reasonably before Walker could punish the goon for its stupidity (one did _not_ express surprise in the presence of strangers!).

"I always receive that reception," the cat called Yoruichi informed the ghosts smugly. "It never gets old." He turned his eyes to Kuukaku. "Who are they?"

"The knight in armor is the Fright Knight and the blue one is the Box Ghost. The new arrivals are Walker and entourage. They arrived just before you did," Kuukaku said swiftly. "You don't seem surprised to see them. Are their kind also in the human realm?"

"A couple are," Yoruichi said, giving the ghosts in the room a scrutinizing look. "I would assume that you all are the ex-prisoners of Soul Society. I congratulate you on breaking out of something that was previously thought impenetrable from both the outside and the inside."

"You've heard of us?" Bullet asked.

"I received the full discourse from your friend," Yoruichi informed them. "He rather insisted on returning for you but we dissuaded him on account of it being too dangerous. Thus, here I am. Fortunately for me, you are all here and accounted for. It certainly makes my job much easier."

"Phantom is no friend of ours," Walker said vehemently.

"Acquaintance then," Yoruichi said without batting an eye.

"He made it back then?" the Fright Knight inquired.

"In one piece," Yoruichi confirmed. "Things have been quite eventful since his return."

"Are you taking us back?" the Box Ghost asked.

"Back to the human world?" Yoruichi's tail twitched as he cocked his head to the side.

"Where else?" Walker said, getting a nagging feeling that they'd be stuck here after all even if Phantom had kept his promise. Darn it. That meant he couldn't arrest Phantom on charges of lying to the warden.

"If Kuukaku is amenable, you can stay here," Yoruichi said, eyes flicking towards the woman. "Given the situation, it would be safer."

"_Safer_?" Walker barked a laugh. "Cat, we're _ghosts_. Nowhere is safe."

"I wasn't saying that the world would be safe _from_ you," Yoruichi said nonchalantly. "The situation isn't safe _for_ you. Soul Society has dispatched a team to the world to look for your acquaintance. One ghost we can hide; an entire group would be significantly more difficult."

"I see your point," the Fright Knight conceded. "I am agreeable to the present circumstances."

"I haven't a problem with it either," Kuukaku said. "They're a great help. Excluding the skeleton guy; all he's done is squabble."

"I can keep quiet," Walker said reluctantly, seeing the sense in staying in the world they were in now.

"But what of returning to _our_ home?" Bullet asked. "We were brought here because these people could help."

"My friend is currently working on a solution to that very problem," Yoruichi reassured them. "It will take some more time but I can assure you that you will eventually be returned to your own dimension."

"Let's see if we can't stop this world from going to hell in a hand basket during that time," Kuukaku continued cheerfully, grinning diabolically.

"I do believe that it's already happening," Yoruichi responded dryly, tail wrapping around his legs; his ear twitched. The cat turned amused yellow eyes towards the ghosts in the room. "You are playing host to an entire entourage of ghosts. Didn't you say that it would be a cold day in hell before you ever considered such a kindness to anyone?"

Kuukaku burst into laughter. "Hell's already frozen over, Yoruichi, or didn't you hear the rumors?"

"Yes. That would be why your guests are staying for the moment and not leaving," Yoruichi said calmly. "Given the volatile situation, anything else would be too dangerous."

Kuukaku sobered. "Let me know if you need anything, Yoruichi. Are you planning on staying awhile?"

Yoruichi shook his head. "No but thank you. I have some other errands to attend to. Time is running short." He gave the ghosts a piercing a look. "Don't move from this house."

Then, tail high, Yoruichi left the room with Kuukaku walking by his side.

Looking at the wooden floor, Walker wondered when life had become strange enough that he was taking orders from a talking cat.

Perhaps he'd arrest Phantom for completely mucking up his world.

* * *

**At an undetermined location…**

An earsplitting howl broke the silence as a green blur threw itself at the pink-haired man with glasses that was calmly standing there. Quick as a flash, the Arrancar known as Szayel Aporro Granz, the eighth Espada, drew his zanpakutou and cleaved the rampant ghost in two. The ectoplasmic being fell apart into separate halves and plopped onto the stone floor. Green ectoplasm poured from the corpse and Szayel clinically observed the sight.

"Imperfect," he concluded dispassionately with a disgusted curl of his lips. He kicked aside the head, which was surrounded by what looked like a white mask, and sheathed his weapon.

Displeased, Szayel surveyed the other ghosts that were lined up against the wall. "Which of you will actually be a success?"

One of them, Ember, snarled at him. "You _bastard_!"

Szayel tsked. "Your language is deteriorating, my dear. You shouldn't demean yourself with such insults."

Ember roared in anger and lunged towards the smug Arrancar. She didn't even reach the man before his devastating reiatsu brought her slamming into the ground. The other ghosts behind her fell to their knees with pained grunts; several others were not so fortunate and melted into puddles of green ectoplasm, joining the growing puddle that was seeping against the wall.

Szayel showed no emotion as he continued the onslaught. He took a step forward and knelt down to grasp Ember by the hair. He picked her up, staring her right into the eyes. "You are nothing but an experiment. Experiments do not rise up against their experimenters. In this case, that would be me."

Ember furiously spat in his face, unable to do much more with her hands handcuffed in front of her.

Szayel's face twisted in anger and he abruptly slammed the rock star's head into the ground, eliciting a cry of pain from the ghost. "You will not," he said in a dangerously quiet tone, "_ever_ do that again, is that clear?"

When no reply was forthcoming, Szayel slammed Ember's head once again into the ground. "I said, _is that clear_?"

"You jerk!" Youngblood burst out. His pirate's hat was missing. "Leave her alone! You're nothing but a _coward_!"

Szayel didn't even look at him. "Answer me, experiment."

Ember said nothing beyond an explicit phrase involving the f-word and "you" that had the ghosts gaping in astonishment. Her refusal to obey Szayel's command led to him furiously pulling her into a standing position. Since he was taller than her, this meant that she didn't have any purchase on the ground and was held aloft by his grip on her hair.

"You _will_ obey me," Szayel hissed furiously, giving Ember a violent shake.

Ember smirked, only her eyes showing the pain she was in. Her head was bleeding green ectoplasm from the bashes into the ground. "Oh, _honey_…you really don't know me, do you?"

With a snarl, Szayel blurred from sight, using Sonido to slam Ember into the wall. With a sickening loud crack, the ghost slid to the ground, unconsciousness making her limp.

"Ember!" Youngblood cried in alarm.

Szayel turned gleaming amber eyes towards the young ghost. "You're next, you little bastard," he promised softly. His eyes roved over all the ghosts. "You're _all_ next. I will get my perfect specimen, one way or another. That weather ghost was simply the first in what will be a long line of successes."

"What did you do to him?" Technus demanded, his normally sleek mullet now in complete disarray. His sunglasses were missing, revealing red eyes.

Szayel's eyes drifted towards the mutilated ghost that he had killed earlier. "Not to worry. You will find out soon for yourself." An evil smirk adorned his face. "I believe a friend of yours has already been dispatched to the world to fulfill her obligations. In fact…" A thoughtful look crossed his face. "…perhaps the reason that it"—the ghost's corpse steamed suddenly and emitted a bubble—"was such a failure was because it was ridiculously weak." He considered Ember's prone form and a malevolent smile made the ghosts cringe. "In that case"—his eyes seemed to dissect the cowering ghosts with unconcealed glee—"you should _all_ be successes."

Without another word, Szayel struck. The ghosts were unable to retaliate in any conceivable way as his debilitating reiatsu left them paralyzed.

Piercing terrified screams filled Szayel's laboratory before cutting off, leaving dead silence in their wake.

* * *

**Karakura Town…**

It was the middle of the night and the air was cool. A light breeze stirred around the flag post of Karakura High School, rustling the flag that was resting there before dissipating and letting the cloth crumple. Then, surprisingly, there was a short sigh and a figure flickered into view on top of the flag post.

Danny Phantom idly looked down at his white boots before tossing his head back and watching the stars. Due to the light pollution of Karakura, which wasn't much but was still there, he couldn't make out any of his favorite constellations and planets. All he could see (if he squinted really, really hard) were a couple of straggler stars that managed to shine brightly enough to be seen through the almost imperceptible haze that was covering the night sky.

That pitiful sight alone not enough to hold his attention, Danny exhaled gustily and took off for an unknown direction, flickering back to invisibility. He'd chanced visibility there because he hadn't sensed anything and had been floating around for five minutes to make sure that his ghost sense had adequate time to respond. Since he was now actively flying around the town, he went back to invisibility in case he happened to run into anything unfriendly.

He knew Sam and Tucker would be mad if they discovered what he was doing at the moment. But that's what duplicates were for and his was currently snoozing away back in the apartment (okay, so it wasn't snoozing; it was _pretending_ to snooze).

Danny frowned and squashed the guilty feeling inside of him that was telling him he should be back at the apartment and not flying around like bait. But he couldn't sleep! Was he supposed to just stay in the apartment and go stir crazy if he couldn't sleep?

The nagging voice inside of him told him "yes" but Danny ignored it. He'd always gone out flying in Amity Park when he couldn't sleep (not that the opportunities were numerous; he treasured his sleep there since he got so little of it). Yet regardless of what he told himself to try and justify this reckless behavior, Danny couldn't help but think of the conversation he'd had with Urahara earlier that day, which subsequently led to him not being able to sleep.

_**Flashback**_

** The three loud knocks on the door made the ghost hunting trio look up from their occupations, which were reading, studying, and geeking out. Uncertainly, they looked at each other. No one was expected and they didn't really know anyone. Everyone that they did know was under orders to leave them alone.**

** "Go and check it," Sam urged her boyfriend.**

** Silently, Danny approached the doorway and stuck his invisible head through the dark wood. He blinked upon seeing Urahara standing there patiently and withdrew to turn to his friends.**

** "It's Urahara," he said in a low voice.**

** "Is he alone?" Sam asked.**

** "From what I can see and sense, yeah," Danny answered.**

** "Let him in then," Sam said, nudging Tucker so he'd put down his PDA.**

** Danny unlocked the door and opened it, wincing as he was met with a blindingly bright smile.**

** "Danny-san!" Urahara whispered really loudly.**

** "Mr. Urahara!" Sam made a "quiet down" gesture with her hands. "You mind keeping it down?"**

** Urahara stepped inside the room, leaving Danny free to close the door behind him and lock it. "No worries. I'm completely alone."**

** "That's great!" Tucker said, still clutching his PDA. "But, err…if you don't mind me asking, what are you **_**doing**_** here? You were the one who said we needed to be left alone!"**

** "It concerns last night," Urahara said somberly, eyeing a suddenly nervous Danny.**

** "What about last night?" Danny asked, fidgeting. **

** "Brilliant!" Urahara beamed. "Then let me begin." Unexpectedly, he sobered. "While I do commend you on your fast acting, I must say that I was not happy to see that you put yourself in harm's way."**

** "But—"**

** "But since circumstances turned out for the best after all, I move on to congratulating you for your impressive fighting skills," Urahara continued cheerfully.**

** Danny blinked at the man's fast mood swings, glancing over at his friends, who wore similar expressions of befuddlement. "Well, um, thanks."**

** "Now that that business is out of the way, I will proceed to the next task on the list," Urahara said, waving a negligent hand. His eyes passed over Danny and he frowned slightly. "I assure you, Danny-san, that those clothes were clean."**

** "Huh?" Danny looked down at his attire. "Oh, you're thinking I had a mishap with the laundry?" He gave a nervous laugh, fingering the too-short sleeves of his sweater. His jeans were hanging two inches above his ankles. "The clothes didn't shrink."**

** "He grew," Sam supplied, standing next to Danny to exhibit her point. She now came up to his chin.**

** "And I was enjoying being the tall one," Tucker said wistfully, demonstrating that Danny now topped him by an inch.**

** "It was a heck of a growth spurt," Danny offered shyly, seeing no sign of Urahara's feelings on his face.**

** There was a brief silence while Urahara seemed to ponder something. "I'll get some new clothes in a bigger size," he finally said.**

** "No, sir, you really don't—"**

** "I can't have you walking around like **_**that**_**, can I?" Urahara cut him off. "Although, I do find it curious that you grew about a foot in one night. But perhaps…it's not as unexpected as it normally would be…"**

** Danny frowned. "What do you mean?"**

** Urahara plunked himself down on the couch. "This directly concerns the incident last night. Did you feel anything out of the ordinary before leaving?"**

** "Yeah, I did. It was this really awful pressure. And, um…I **_**saw**_** Orihime and Chad fighting those Arrancar," Danny explained. "That was before I got there and how I knew that they were about to be killed."**

** Urahara leaned forwards, his eyes dead serious. "You **_**saw**_** them?"**

** "Yeah, it was like a vision or something." Danny eyed him uncertainly. "What? Is that not normal?"**

** "Curious," Urahara muttered, giving Danny a penetrating stare. "An unusual sensitivity perhaps?"**

** Danny exchanged confused looks with his friends. Sensitivity to what? He wasn't allergic to anything as far as he could tell. And he should know considering the complete diet change they'd had to undergo since arriving here.**

** "Mind you," Urahara said slowly, "I've never actually met with someone as unusual as you. Thus, much of what I am about to say might not be true."**

** "What?" Danny pressed.**

** Urahara didn't immediately answer Danny's question. "What do you know of reiryoku?"**

** Sam and Tucker blinked at the unfamiliar word, although Danny remembered it being used when he had been in Soul Society. "Erm…isn't that…spiritual energy?"**

** "Exactly. Reiryoku is what makes up the essence of shinigamis and hollows. When one has an enormous amount of reiryoku, this leads to reiatsu, which is spiritual pressure."**

** "And too much of that dissolves ghosts into puddles of goo," Danny muttered thoughtfully, thinking back to what had happened with some of Walker's goons.**

** Urahara didn't comment on that particular tidbit of information but filed it away for future reference. He continued with his explanation. "Run of the norm spirits don't exactly have reiryoku and are simply made up of what you know as ectoplasm. Shinigamis and hollows have both reiryoku and reiatsu."**

** Tucker interrupted him, "This is really interesting and all but what does it have to do with Danny? He's not a spirit or a shinigami or a hollow. Why are you telling us this?"**

** Urahara favored him with a small smile. "Because, Tucker-san, I noticed something last night that links Danny-san closer to our brand of spirits. He now has a distinct reiatsu, making him traceable to anyone actually looking for him."**

** "Now? So he didn't have it before?" Sam asked.**

** "Before he could have walked right by my side in the middle of a crowded street and I never would have known he was half-ghost," Urahara assured her. "Now, however, I can tell that he is a spiritual being. Your reiatsu is faint," he addressed Danny, "but still there. One of Soul Society's people noticed it when she arrived."**

** Danny blanched. "Sorry about that."**

** "It was nothing that I couldn't cover up myself. The ice construction in the sky was a slightly more difficult feat."**

** Danny flushed as Sam and Tucker turned accusing eyes on him. "I was fighting for my life," he said defensively. "Besides, it wasn't exactly **_**me**_** per se but a duplicate."**

** "A duplicate is still you, Danny," Sam said shortly, not sounding impressed.**

** Danny gave up on convincing them otherwise and turned back to Urahara. "So I have reiatsu now? Is that it?"**

** "It would explain your sudden growth spurt," Urahara mused, examining Danny's small clothes.**

** "How so?"**

** "Well, by its nature ectoplasm is simply for ghosts. It doesn't exactly **_**grow**_**. So if mixed with human physiology, it can wreak havoc with basic processes such as growing and"—Urahara smirked—"puberty."**

** Danny looked insulted for a second before becoming resigned. "So that's why I haven't grown much since becoming half-ghost?"**

** "Yes."**

** "And now?" Danny tugged his sweater down to cover his exposed stomach. When that didn't work, he hitched his jeans up another inch; all that did was expose several more inches of skin on his legs.**

** "The ectoplasm of your kind is very dense and doesn't have reiryoku to dissolve the energy. It's why you're visible to regular humans and someone such as Kurosaki-san isn't. Your time in Soul Society – which is a place saturated with reiryoku – allowed you to absorb the energy that your kind lacks. This in turn allowed you a much needed growth spurt."**

** Danny blinked at that. "So I'm still half-ghost, visible to regular humans, and I'm not going to undergo any other weird changes?"**

** "Yes to the first two while I'm not sure about the last."**

** That didn't alleviate Danny's worries in the slightest. "What **_**else**_** might happen?"**

** "You'll always have a slight trace of reiatsu; that will never leave you. It might make you more imposing to your enemies – mentally if not physically. It will not have much of an effect on shinigamis and hollows of significant power," the shopkeeper cautioned. "They have more powerful reiatsu than you do. Yours is rather unusual and weak."**

** "That's still an asset, Danny," Sam chimed in, shooting her slightly mollified boyfriend a grin.**

** "But it doesn't mean anything for the long run, right?" Tucker asked worriedly. "Besides having that energy, Danny'll still be, erm…**_**normal**_**, right?"**

** "I've never been normal, Tucker," Danny pointed out dryly.**

** "I know that! I meant 'normal' as in normal for**_** you**_**!" Tucker exclaimed indignantly.**

** Urahara didn't comment on the exchange beyond looking faintly amused. "Danny-san should still be a normal half-ghost teenager."**

** "Gee, thanks," Danny muttered. "You make it sound like I'm some sort of weirdo."**

** "We're all weirdoes," Sam said comfortingly.**

** "Any other questions?" Urahara asked, drawing the attention back to himself. "Remember, this is all conjecture."**

** Danny shrugged. "Well, it's not like we'll figure anything else out. There's no way I'm letting Dr. Jekyll get near me and my parents haven't a clue about who I am. Your explanation fits so we'll go with that."**

** Urahara gave a short laugh. "You forget, Danny-san, that I am a scientist. By nature, scientists are never satisfied with half-baked explanations. So while you might be satisfied with what I have come up with, I will forever be wondering."**

** "If it helps any, we won't be your problem for much longer," Danny said. "Or is there no way of sending us back?"**

** "I'm still working on that front for now," Urahara said, getting to his feet. "It would help significantly if I had a hollow to examine." That thought made him pause. "Hmm… Perhaps Kurosaki would not object to capturing one and delivering it," he murmured absently, approaching the door.**

** Sharing a bemused glance with his friends and silently wishing Ichigo good luck, Danny opened the door for Urahara. "See you around?"**

** Urahara gave Danny an absentminded pat on the head with his fan and left, still muttering about hollows and Ichigo. Rubbing his head with a grimace, Danny shut the door and locked it.**

_**End Flashback.**_

Danny was shaken out his flashback by his ghost sense going off. He was then greeted by the sight of a familiar mechanical ghost floating in front of him. "My sensors indicate that someone is floating right here, whelp, so you can drop the subterfuge."

"Your sensors indicate a lot of things," Danny said cheekily, not bothering to comply with Skulker's request.

"Meaning what?" Skulker demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, they would have me believe that you're the best hunter in the Ghost Zone and _that's_ something that I just can't see."

Skulker glared at the impertinent half-ghost but since he couldn't see his exact location, his glare ended up being off by a couple of inches to Danny's left. "Do you know any other hunters, whelp?"

Danny shrugged, although Skulker couldn't see it. "No but I fail to see how that changes anything. You can't be the _best_ hunter if there's no one else to compete with. That just leaves you to be the best by default, which means you're not really the best after all. You could be the worst hunter to walk the planet and no one would know since there's no competition!"

Skulker narrowed his eyes even further and he folded his arms across his chest menacingly. "Would you like to test that theory of yours?"

"Don't need to. I already know I can flatten you."

Skulker frowned but didn't contest Danny's truthful yet cocky statement. "Well, then, Mr. Cocky—"

"Cocky is my middle name," Danny shot back.

"Really? I thought it would've been something as mundane as James or Harry," Skulker mused. "Or perhaps not even something as noble as that. Daniel Jimmy Fenton does have a nice ring to it."

Danny flushed in embarrassment, glad that Skulker couldn't see his mortification. "Well, you'll have to be sadly disappointed. My middle name isn't any of those awful examples."

"Then enlighten me, whelp."

"You'll have to die in ignorance then," Danny retorted, flicking his ghostly tail. "I'm not telling you."

Skulker scowled in aggravation but let the matter drop. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Couldn't sleep," Danny replied truthfully. "You?"

"Patrolling," Skulker said, a faint trace of disgust in his tone.

"Why are you _patrolling_?"

"You sound like you don't believe in my reconnaissance abilities," Skulker accused.

"That's one thing I'm not in doubt of," Danny assured him hastily. "You've hunted me down too often for me to say anything against it. I'm just wondering…erm…why you're patrolling _here_. To be honest, there's not much you can actually do."

Skulker shrugged. "I must agree with you on that point. But since the shopkeeper ordered me to do so and I doubt I can hold my own against him in a decent fight, I acquiesced. It does relieve the boredom when one of those masked fiends happens to appear."

"Speaking of those masked fiends," Danny said slowly, "we got a visit from Urahara today. He was talking about needing one of them so he can work on a way to get home. Think you can net one and get it to him?"

Skulker eyed the invisible space Danny was occupying disdainfully. "You choose to put faith in my abilities now after mocking them scarcely five minutes ago?"

"Look, Skulker, you and I both know that you suck when it comes to keeping me under lock and key. But when it comes to _capturing_ something, I'll be the first to say that you do get the job done. And since these hollows – or 'masked fiends' as you called them – aren't all that big of a deal, I know you can capture one and deliver it to Urahara without a fuss."

Skulker seemed slightly mollified even if a bit insulted at Danny's mixed put down and praise. "Well, I can't really argue with that. I'll certainly think about it. This place certainly doesn't match the Ghost Zone when it comes to homeliness."

Danny shuddered. "I'll just trust you on that."

Skulker shot the invisible space that Danny was hovering in an amused look. "Regardless, whelp, I hope to not _see_ you around. The consequences if I should would not be pretty."

"And that's where we part ways," Danny announced, flying around to Skulker's back and giving the startled hunter a pat on his shoulder. "Even if you don't see me, I'll probably be seeing you around."

Before Skulker could do anything to him, Danny had taken off. He was no in way ready to go back to the stuffy apartment and thus made his way to the more decrepit areas of Karakura Town. He didn't think that the shinigamis – uptight as they were – would demean themselves to occupy such a dirty and downtrodden place.

Smirking at the image of Byakuya sleeping on the bare ground, Danny almost didn't notice when he inadvertently turned to his right. Stopping abruptly, he slowly turned around and inspected the area that he had flown around. Something prickled at his senses and the hairs on the back of his neck rose.

The feeling was eerily similar to what he had felt the previous night but different in that wasn't quite as oppressive.

Narrowing his eyes, Danny tried to look more closely at the area that he had flown around, only to find that his eyes were being drawn elsewhere. Frustrated and determined that this obstacle wouldn't get the better of him, Danny closed his eyes and flew straight forward at top speed.

He instantly regretted the decision when his face met something hard that definitely wasn't thin air and he lost his invisibility. Wincing but turning intangible, Danny phased through what he had crashed into before opening his eyes and rubbing his bruised face. The pain quickly faded courtesy of his healing abilities but his attention was caught by the fact that he was in a large warehouse.

Well, the warehouse part wasn't too surprising considering the area of town he was in. But why was it hidden? And Danny knew it _had_ been hidden. He might be a C-average student when it came to his books but he was street smart.

Although now that he thought more about his action, he realized that it was a really reckless and thoughtless decision on his part to simply barge ahead with no idea what was lying in front of him. No worries. Sam and Tucker didn't need to hear about this recent escapade of his.

Danny mentally debated whether he should turn back or continue onward. The warehouse seemed empty and while his skin was still prickling and his neck hairs were still raised, he couldn't see anything that set off his alarm bells. And he trusted his instincts well enough to figure if something was safe or not. Regardless of the creepy feeling he was getting, he figured that this was safe.

So then that was a negative on retreating. Curious now as to what would require a warehouse like this to remain under some sort of invisible barrier, Danny flicked on his invisibility again and began to fly around. He swooped under a ledge and stopped in shock to see that the floor was sloped down to form a staircase.

Landing on the ground, Danny uncertainly peered down into the darkness. This was just too weird. What kind of warehouse had an underground chamber?

This time, it took Danny much less time to decide to check it out. Who cared if it was curiosity that killed the cat? He'd already faced a bowling ball and a bull from hell and figured that not much else could possibly surprise him at this point (knock on wood).

Decision made, Danny flew down the stairs, taking only a couple of seconds to leave the blackness and find himself in bright light that resembled the sun. Blinking against the onslaught of his vision, Danny gaped at the sight that was laid out below him.

The sky – ceiling – or whatever it was – was _blue_. The ground resembled an arid desert with mountains, sand, and rocky outcrops. And in the middle were two clashing figures; one was wearing black and the other was wearing normal everyday clothes. On the side were other figures that appeared to be watching the fight.

'_They __**look**__ like humans,_' Danny considered, slowly approaching the group. He made sure to remain high in the air. '_But that doesn't count for much,_' he sourly figured, remembering that Granz had looked perfectly human himself before turning into a rampaging bull set on his blood. As if to support his unspoken conjecture, Danny felt a small chill in his chest that didn't dissipate until several seconds passed: a variation of his ghost sense that marked that a shinigami was nearby.

That question was answered when he recognized the black figure as Ichigo in his shinigami form. But the only reason he even recognized Ichigo was because of his outrageously orange hair. Otherwise the teen was unrecognizable as he was sporting a white and purple mask that resembled that of the hollows Danny had been encountering.

His green eyes sought out the other figure – a blonde-haired girl – that Ichigo was fighting. He wasn't too surprised to see that she was also wearing a mask…with horns.

'_Just when I thought I've seen it all._'

Danny was so absorbed in watching Ichigo fight that he didn't notice the other figures look up to inspect the area he was occupying. Thus, it came to be a complete surprise when he found a very sharp sword suddenly poking the air next to him.

Squelching an undignified yelp, Danny whirled around to see a blonde-haired boy with very well-defined teeth inspecting the area he had just stabbed. Keeping his breathing soft and even, Danny cautiously backed away, glad that his invisibility had held through his shock.

"I know you're there," the boy muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Although I can't see you, I can certainly _sense_ you."

'_Oh crap!_' Danny mentally berated himself for forgetting that he was no longer _just_ a half-ghost. He was now a half-ghost with reiatsu that shinigamis and hollows could sense. And he'd just blown his cover by being too curious. '_Guess curiosity really __**did**__ kill the cat._'

"Oi, Shinji!" one of the other figures called. "Anything?"

"Not yet!" the boy called Shinji snapped. He flicked his sword through the air and Danny turned intangible as well, letting the tip of the blade slide through his abdomen.

Keeping up both intangibility and invisibility, Danny's attention was caught by a sudden grunt as Ichigo was flung into the ground. He looked to see that the mask the orange-haired teenager had been wearing was falling to pieces.

"Pitiful, Kurosaki!" the girl snarled, lifting her mask up to reveal a freckled face with huge brown eyes. Her visage was twisted into an ugly sneer. "That's made – what? – _fifteen_ times now that I've trounced your ass?"

"I got distracted!" Ichigo snapped, glaring up at the girl. His eyes landed on Shinji. "What are you doing up there anyway?"

"Something broke through Hachigen's shield," Shinji said shortly. "I'm sensing that it's up here."

"But there's nothing there," Ichigo objected. "Unless you're saying that it's _invisible_…" His voice trailed off as the realization dawned on him.

"What, Ichigo?" Shinji demanded. "You look like you know something."

"It's nothing," Ichigo denied, rubbing off the blood that had accumulated on his forehead.

"Spit it out, Kurosaki!" the girl growled, landing on the ground and stomping over to a resolute Ichigo. "If you know something about who's spying on us, then tell us! It might be _Aizen_ for all we know!"

Ichigo snorted. "It's definitely not Aizen, I'll tell you that much."

Danny wondered if Ichigo could keep stalling long enough for him to get away. Glancing back at Shinji, he was relieved to see that he had backed off of swinging his sword around wildly. Taking the chance, Danny darted backwards about five feet before returning his attention to the ground.

The girl was approaching Ichigo more threateningly now, although the teen stood his ground. "If you know something, Kurosaki…" she growled menacingly.

"But I don't," Ichigo said flatly, his face deadpan despite the lie. "I just know it's not Aizen; he can't turn invisible, can he?"

Shinji's face had turned contemplative by this point. "Back off, Hiyori," he ordered, studying the area in front of him. "We're not going to get anything else out of him."

The girl called Hiyori screwed her face into an expression of utmost dismay and disgust. "Aw, Shinji!"

Danny eyed the other teen warily. For some reason, the look in Shinji's eyes was putting him on edge. It looked a bit like he had a daredevil plan that he was going to put into effect at any moment.

Sure enough, Danny found himself at sword point yet again as Shinji began to slash at the air around him. This time he couldn't restrain a sharp gasp from escaping him as the sword nearly took his head off; only a quick duck saved his neck – literally.

"Heard you!" Shinji grunted triumphantly, still swinging his weapon around like a trigger-happy maniac.

Danny twisted to the side, dodging a violent thrust; he promptly had to let the sword phase through his middle section as Shinji swiped to the right. Okay…this was a _really_ bad idea.

"What the hell are you doing, Shinji?" Ichigo shouted, alarmed.

"If you're not going to tell us anything, I'm going to make the air tell us instead!"

"It's _air_!"

Even though he was busy dodging Shinji's wild sword swings, Danny had the mental capacity to appreciate Ichigo's witty retort. It was something he himself would have said if he'd been visible.

"Your point?" Shinji hollered back.

"Air doesn't talk!"

Danny dodged another sword thrust by bending backwards. This elaborate maneuver led to a quick opening that was quickly taken advantage of as Shinji give his wrist a quick and barely noticeable flick that was enough to send his sword right by Danny's side. This time the sharp blade nicked through Danny's jumpsuit and drew ectoplasm.

"Got you that time!" Shinji crowed, drawing his sword back to inspect the green blood that was on the tip.

Grimacing, Danny placed a hand on his side to stop the bleeding until it could heal over. Maybe Shinji would leave it alone so he could beat a hasty escape.

"Oi, Hachigen!" Shinji flicked the ectoplasmic blood off towards a very tall and fat man that resembled someone's kindly grandfather. "See if you can kill the little twerp using this."

_Kill_?

Eyes widening in alarm, Danny searched Shinji's face for any sign of a bluff. When he could see none, he began to panic as Hachigen began to do something with the small trace of ectoplasm Shinji had nicked from him.

Not having any intention of letting this strange group claim his life prematurely, Danny found that he didn't really have any other choice than to reveal himself.

"Okay, okay!" Danny blurted, dropping his invisibility and putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I give! Don't do anything!"

His sudden appearance didn't do anything beyond elicit a couple of gasps from below. Shinji simply put his sword up.

Danny eyed it warily. "Peace?" he offered cautiously, slowly moving his hand forward in a gesture of peace.

"You were spying on us," Shinji said flatly.

"What? No, I wasn't!" Danny protested.

"Then what do you call what you just did?"

"I was curious! It's not every day you see an underground chamber hidden under a warehouse."

"He's got a point!" Ichigo agreed loudly, ignoring the glare Hiyori shot him.

"You knew it was him, didn't you?" she demanded.

"I didn't _know_; I suspected," Ichigo said glibly. He shot Danny a glare now. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

Danny took the opportunity to slowly float down towards the ground, still keeping both eyes on Shinji's very pointy sword. "I couldn't sleep. Besides, shouldn't I be asking _you_ the same question? Shinigami or not, I can't imagine that this is a regular occurrence for you."

"What? The being awake in the middle of the night part or something else?"

"The fact that you're in a chamber under a _warehouse_," Danny pointed out dryly, finally on the ground besides Ichigo. "That's not normal by anyone's standards."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You haven't yet seen the training ground hidden under a mountain in Soul Society."

"Point taken." Danny shot Hachigen a nervous look. "Hey, um…you're not actually going to use my blood, are you? I did show myself!"

Hiyori snorted derisively. "Shinji was bluffing. Idiot." The last bit was muttered under her breath.

Danny flushed. "How am _I_ supposed to know that? I'm just a ghost!"

"I knew it!" Shinji said triumphantly, alighting on the ground in front of the half-ghost. "You're one of them! I'm guessing that you're Fantomu?"

Danny shrugged resignedly. "Got it in one."

"Now _this_ is what I'm talking about," Shinji said, turning to a bemused Ichigo. "This kid showed up here with no fussing or any trickery. Can't you take a leaf out of his book?"

Ichigo scowled. "Are you freaking _kidding_ me? Fantomu isn't anything like us! Why the hell would you be interested in _him_?"

"Touching, really," Danny murmured, unsure as to whether he should be amused or affronted at the turn the conversation had taken.

"He's a ghost!" Shinji said as if that settled the matter. "Besides, can't you _feel_ him?"

"I can and it's not anything special," Hiyori said bluntly.

"He managed to get through my barrier," Hachigen said in a mild tone.

"You know my talent at sensing other people's reiatsu is utter garbage," Ichigo said hotly.

"You could at least try, you know," Shinji pressed sharply.

Giving a loud huff, Ichigo turned his attention to the waiting half-ghost and stared at him. The unnerving look made Danny fidget until Ichigo finally blinked and said, "Huh. You feel strange." To Shinji: "But your point is absolutely stupid. He came here because he was curious; I came here because I didn't have another choice that was available to me."

Danny broke into the argument before it could get too heated. "What _are_ you doing here anyway? I've never seen that kind of a mask on shinigamis before."

"It's not exactly a mark of a shinigami," Ichigo said rather uncomfortably. "It's…well…"

"We're Vizards," Shinji explained shortly.

Danny furrowed his brow. "You're _wizards_?"

"_Vi_zards, pea brain!" Hiyori shrieked at the startled teen. "Get it right!"

Danny frowned disapprovingly at her. "I'll do that as soon as I get what exactly Vizards are. Otherwise, I'll just stick to wizards 'cause you guys all act like trigger-happy morons."

Ichigo had to stifle a snicker while Shinji explained the term in a blank voice, "We're shinigamis who have hollow powers. We call on them by forming the mask. Like so." He demonstrated by materializing a pure white mask with ridges on the forehead in his hand.

Danny glanced at Ichigo. "You're one of them?"

"As of today – or yesterday, really – yes, I am," Ichigo replied. "Mind you, it's not something I _wanted_."

"It's not something any of us wanted, stupid!" Hiyori shrieked at Ichigo now.

Ichigo rapidly retaliated in kind. "What was stupid about my comment?"

Hiyori fumed for about five seconds before blowing up like a volcano and swinging her sword right at Ichigo. "That's it! Break's over! Back to work! Clock, Shinji!"

The next sequence of events happened so quickly Danny had trouble keeping track. Hiyori lunged at a startled Ichigo at the same time that a wooden sandal hit Shinji in the head. As if by magic, a clock appeared in the teen's hand. On the fighting front, Ichigo had materialized his own hollow mask to hold off Hiyori's vicious attack.

It took Danny a split-second to realize that the wooden sandal had come from Hiyori, who was now wearing only one shoe. It took him another second to realize that Shinji was apparently timing the amount of time that Ichigo could hold his mask since the clock had started running the moment Ichigo's mask had appeared.

"Training?" he dared to ask.

"Yep," Shinji responded. "You can take a seat over there if you want." He pointed to where the others were sitting or standing.

Danny found himself disconcerted at the sudden change from being an enemy to being accepted and walked rather slowly to the other Vizards.

"So you're a ghost?" one of the girls asked. She had dark hair and wire-framed glasses; her outfit consisted of a school uniform.

"Last I checked, I was," Danny said, stopping a short distance away from them. He wasn't reckless enough as to actually put himself directly in the middle. "Should I return the question and ask if you're a Vizard?"

"We're all Vizards here," a gray-haired man said roughly. "Except you, of course."

"If I ever get hollow powers, I'll be sure to come right to you," Danny promised dryly.

"I doubt we could help you in that case," the man said. "You're a ghost and we're ex-shinigami."

"_Ex_-shinigami?"

"It's a long story that doesn't need to be rehashed at the moment," the girl said shortly. "I'm Yadoumaru Lisa."

"Muguruma Kensei," the gray-haired man said.

A man with long blonde hair twirled his mustache and introduced himself, "Outoribashi Roujuurou."

A green-haired girl in a white and orange jumpsuit and with goggles on her head beamed at the rather befuddled half-ghost. "Kuna Mashiro."

The large grandfatherly-like man came next. "Ushouda Hachigen."

A burly man with a huge black afro and large goggle-like glasses framing his eyes smirked and said, "Aikawa Love."

"The one fighting Ichigo there is Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji you've already met," Lisa said.

Danny mentally quailed under the pressure of keeping those names straight and resolved to never address them by name if he could help it. "Gotcha, Lisa."

"And you're just Fantomu?" Kensei asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yep," Danny lied.

At that moment, Ichigo hit the ground for the fifth time since Danny had become acquainted with the Vizards. The mask he had on shattered into dozens of pieces.

"Pathetic, Kurosaki!" Hiyori criticized brutally. "How long was that this time, Shinji?"

"Eight seconds," Shinji announced in a bland voice. His face was similarly bland.

Hiyori seemed to choke. "_Eight_ seconds? _Eight_?" She jumped to the ground and began browbeating Ichigo furiously. "Are you so ridiculously stupid that you can only hold your mask for _eight measly seconds_? Why am I even bothering with such a lame brained turd?"

"I'm trying, okay?" Ichigo snapped, beating off the clawed hands that had been shaking him. "It's not _easy_!"

"None of us," Hiyori snarled, "_none_ of us were as pathetic as you when we first started out!"

"It's only been a day!"

"You're the one who achieved bankai in less than three days! Or are you telling me that was a fluke?"

Ichigo glared at her. "That was no fluke!"

"Or how about the way you learned shunpo in that same time frame?" Hiyori continued brutally. "Do you have any talent in that pea brain of yours or has it all gone to waste on learning bankai and the elementary skill of shunpo?"

Ichigo had steam pouring out of his ears by now. "You're not helping much with your constant bitching on"—he pitched his voice to an appropriate imitation of Hiyori's—" 'Longer, Kurosaki! Hold onto it! What, are you completely _senile_?' "

"I do not sound like that!" Hiyori shrieked, tossing aside her weapon to pounce on Ichigo for a wrestling match.

"You do!" Ichigo retorted, holding her off with a foot.

In the meantime, Danny had been watching the exchange with a mixture of amusement and thoughtfulness. When the wrestling match Hiyori had initiated looked to be continuing with no stopping, he stepped in to call, "Are you telling me that you're having him _force_ his new ability?"

The two fighting contestants stopped what they were doing so that Hiyori could glare at Danny. "What did you think we were doing?"

Danny folded his arms. "Getting him to get used to his new ability? I don't know. Anything _but_ what you were doing!"

"What do you suggest then?" Shinji asked, shooting Hiyori and Ichigo, who were still lying on top of one another in a rather suggestive position, a wary glance.

"Forcing it is about the worst thing you can do," Danny said determinedly, ignoring the disbelieving looks he was receiving from the other Vizards. "That's just the way of making it even _harder_ to control the power. I mean, once you have control over it then forcing it is about one of the only ways to get more power. But when you're still learning, it has to be, erm…_fluid_, you know?"

"Fluid?" the Vizards chorused blankly.

"Fluid!" Danny peered at them. "Are you telling me that _all_ of you already had a slight grasp on this power when it first materialized?"

"Mashiro had it easiest," Lisa said. "The rest of us had to train."

Considering that, Danny carefully picked his next words. "But you guys are _ex_-shinigami, right? You're not like Ichigo, who can still be seen by regular humans when he's back in his body?"

"We're pure spiritual beings," Shinji confirmed.

"That's already a difference between you guys," Danny pointed out. "Ichigo doesn't have the same grip on techniques like this the way you guys do. He's hindered by the fact that he's not exactly a _pure_ spiritual being."

"Then what do you suggest?" Hiyori demanded rudely, sitting up. She was still sitting on Ichigo so the position wasn't much better.

Danny managed to stop himself from gaping at the inappropriate image displayed before him. "Well,_ you_ don't really have to do anything different. Ichigo just needs to approach it differently."

"You sound like you've had the same problem before," Ichigo said, getting up on his elbows.

Danny shrugged. "When I first started, I couldn't get anything right because I was forcing everything. I'd try to turn invisible and it wouldn't work. I'd turn invisible and be unable to go back. The same went for intangibility. My pants kept falling off. I couldn't keep my form either. But that was because I kept _forcing_ my abilities to come. Once I just let instinct take over everything came more naturally until I really had control over my abilities. Now I can force my power to give it a boost."

"So I rely on instinct?" Ichigo guessed.

"Just let it come," Danny advised. "Don't think about forcing it. You're the one who has control over the power; it doesn't control you."

Ichigo shoved Hiyori off his lap, a pensive look on his face. "Got it."

Hiyori clambered to her feet, stoutly ignoring Danny. "Giving it another go then?"

Ichigo didn't respond except to bring his hand across his face and call forth his mask. "Bring it," he confirmed, his voice having an extra edge to it that wasn't there before.

Hiyori retrieved her sword and leapt to attack the orange-haired teen. The two met with a loud clash and Danny watched Ichigo to see if his advice had any impact.

Sure enough, Ichigo was able to hold his own much longer against Hiyori this time. In fact, by the time Hiyori managed to throw Ichigo into a rock, five minutes had elapsed.

"That actually worked," Shinji muttered, gaping in astonishment at the time the watch was showing him.

"Nice job on the advice, kid," Love said approvingly, making Danny fidget in embarrassment.

Danny shrugged uncomfortably. "I always help my friends." A thought occurred to him then. "What time is it?"

Lisa took a look at the watch on her left wrist. "It's four."

"Four?" Danny shot a glance up at the blue ceiling. "I need to get going."

"Where to?" Mashiro asked curiously.

"I do have friends," Danny said, trying to keep his irritation at bay. They knew his name, his species, but couldn't be bothered to check his list of acquaintances? Ah, just as well. It did keep Sam and Tucker off the wanted list. "And I won't tell anyone about what I've seen here. It's not my secret to tell."

"He can go," Shinji called back, watching Ichigo and Hiyori have another round. "I say he's earned it."

"Thanks," Danny called. He gave the other Vizards a wave and took off for home.

He was glad to have helped Ichigo get control over this strange new power. Something was telling him that he'd need all the help he could get in the near future.

* * *

**In an undetermined location…**

A clawed hand resembling that of a hollow reached out to pry apart the very fabric of reality. A split formed, revealing an empty black void that quickly sucked in all the air around it. A second hand, one that was more humanoid but still shaped like that of a hollow, reached out to create a second split. It moved in the direction of the first, and the empty void it created struggled to reach the oldest rip.

Then, with a mind numbingly loud howl, the hands were jerked back as the rips sealed themselves off and the air returned to normal.

There was brief silence for a moment before a cold analytical voice spoke. "It has never been done before, you understand."

"It shall be done this time," Hakaisha Tasekai said grimly, his mismatched eyes narrowing as he inspected the air in front of him. "I possess the power to rip through from one dimension to the next. I have the power to connect this one and the other."

Aizen calmly gazed past Hakaisha towards the space the hollow had attempted to create a dimensional hole in. "How do you intend to do this?"

Hakaisha didn't answer his question. "Show me how to create the pathway to your world."

Aizen betrayed nothing beyond a narrowing of his eyes. Then he reached out and touched something in the air. The space he touched began to slide back as if it was made up of blocks, revealing another black void.

Eyes closed, Hakaisha slowly breathed in, analyzing the spiritual trace Aizen had left. "I see…" Abruptly, he reached out once again. This time, the hole he formed resulted in a green background. His eyes crinkled as he grinned. "Behold, Aizen Sousuke, the Ghost Zone."

Aizen stepped by his side to receive his first peek in the other dimension his ally was so interested in. "You apparently have no trouble in accessing this dimension."

"Not by itself, no," Hakaisha agreed coolly. His other hand came up as he lovingly traced an arc through the air. "But when I try to access your world as well…" The moment he created the second rip he lost control and the two rips sealed themselves off with loud howls. "As you can see, I am incapable of holding the two together for more than a second."

"Perhaps they were never meant to be held together."

"The dimensions are all together. Some are closer than others. Yours is relatively close to the one I have just accessed. It simply requires power to bring together the two."

"I presume this has to do with the hollows?"

"Indeed." Hakaisha favored the brown-haired man with a nod. "It should not take me long before I am able to bring the two dimensions together without a third party. In that case…" He abruptly changed the subject. "How is your Arrancar faring with the ghosts?"

Aizen didn't blink at the change in subject. "At his last report, Szayel reported favorable progress. It should not be long on that front."

"Excellent." Without another word, Hakaisha turned back to his task, once again attempting to bring together the two different dimensions he was obsessed with.

As the powerful being did so, both Soul Society and the Ghost Zone felt the consequences of reality shifting around them.

* * *

**So! What'd you guys think? Let me know with the ueber-awesome REVIEW function! I wonder what happened with the green button (unless it's just on my computer that it doesn't show up).**

**As you can guess from the chapter title, _something_ will soon be happening. But you didn't hear it from me! ;)  
**


	28. The Other Dimension: Striking Back

**I apologize for the long wait between updates but I just haven't had any inspiration for this story. Not to say that I haven't been writing. If you want to check out my new _Harry Potter_ story, Harry Potter and the Veil, and drop a review, I'd be absolutely thrilled!**

**In any case, I hope you enjoy this particular chapter. Drop a REVIEW and let me know what you think! We're racing towards the finish line now...**

**Thanks to _Kai-Chan94, Garnet Sky, Okami Princess, arandomreviewer, Riqis Inna Sunja, Leo112, Hanzo of the Salamander, Talk Bubble, SpartanCommander, erica .phoenix .16, fancyfairy, DragonKnight15,_ and _Golden feathers Edward_ for reviewing the last chapter!**

**_arandomreviewer: _**Heavens, no! (runs and ducks for cover)**_  
_**

**_ erica .phoenix .16: _**You'll have to find out! ;)**  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.**

**WARNING: There is some sensitive graphic material in the first and second scenes. This chapter has thoroughly earned its T rating.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 28: The Other Dimension: Striking Back**

* * *

Heart pounding in her ears and muscles jittery with nerves, Jazz ducked into the doorway of the apartment complex and crept along the wall into the stairway. A quick scan of her surroundings showed that she was safe for now and she tried to slow her breathing down to a safer rate.

"_Everything clear, Jazz?_" her father asked through the Fenton Phones she had on.

"So far," she said, hoping the stress she was feeling wouldn't be apparent through her voice. "I'm in the building and making my way up. The second one will be in place soon."

"_I've put in place three,_" Vlad chimed in. His smarmy voice made Jazz shiver in disgust. "_The fourth one will be up momentarily._"

"_Sweet, Vladdie!_" Jack said eagerly. "_We'll make a ghost hunter of you yet!_"

Jazz stifled a snort. The only reason Vlad had installed as many as he had was because he was half-ghost. It gave him more advantages than Jazz or Jack when it came to fighting these monsters. It was just fortunate that her dad didn't notice that Vlad had installed more than his fair share. It was supposed to be three each for everyone but Jazz had given Vlad four since he could install them faster than she could. Jazz had filched Jack's two and given them to Vlad to install as well.

How her dad hadn't noticed that he only had to install one was beyond her but she suspected that Vlad had a hand in that.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Jazz focused on the task at hand. She had to make her way to the roof, install the device she was lugging around on her back onto a satellite dish or something, and make her way back to their safehouse, all without being noticed.

Simple, right?

She _wished_. She'd almost brought a hoarde of those monsters down on her head after installing the last one at the top of a different apartment building several blocks away. It was only pure luck on her end and the timely intervention of a duplicate of Vlad's that had led to her escaping and safely arriving in this building.

Flicking the Fenton Phones off so it would no longer transmit her voice, Jazz took the stairs two at a time, pulling herself up with the railing. She had fifteen stories to go and thirty flights of stairs that were ten steps each. The goggles she was wearing gave everything a pink hue and were giving her a pulsing headache but she dared not take them off. They were all she had to truly see what was happening around her.

Breathing heavily, Jazz took a short break on the fourth floor, massaging her temples as she did. Stretching out a cramp in her calf, Jazz reached down to the ecto-gun that was tucked by her hip. All she had to do was hit the monsters on the mask and they would vanish.

She owed Vlad a _lot_. Grimacing at the thought as if it pained her, Jazz shook her leg out and hit the stairs again. She'd just hit the sixth floor when she heard a loud crash and a piercing scream. Freezing in place directly in front of the door that led to the sixth floor, Jazz slowly crept back down, her mouth bone dry.

Someone was up here. Some_thing_ was up here. What the hell was she supposed to do? There was an innocent person up here and a monster! And judging by the tone of the scream… Oh Lord, it was a _child_.

Swallowing a lump that was stuck in her throat, Jazz knelt down on the first flight of stairs, her eyes planted on the door that was just out of sight. She had to think this through. She wasn't Danny who could just fly in there fists a-blazing. She was human, petrified with fear, and incapable of seeing through walls.

But she _was_ armed. From what she'd seen, these monsters didn't eat people. But then she hadn't seen much. Vlad had been pretty freaked out and if something freaked him out then it wasn't exactly a good thing.

"Damn," she muttered, unholstering her ecto-gun. She made sure the setting of the gun was on the highest possible. The whirring of the weapon comforted her but only slightly. From experience, she knew it would take at least two well-aimed shots to get rid of these monsters. And unfortunately, her aim wasn't that great.

It was better from when she'd started ghost hunting with Danny and his friends but it still wasn't so great that she hit her target everytime. She still missed and ended up hitting Danny on the butt every three out of five shots.

'_Breathe in and out, Jasmine,_' she told herself. '_You can **do** this._'

Resolved, Jazz began the process of stealthily creeping up the stairs. She'd just reached the midpoint between the two flights of stairs when the door to the sixth floor slammed open with a bang. Jazz froze in position, her gun cocked at the ready.

Her breath stuck in her throat when she saw the monster bend the frame out of position with a large hand and step through. Bile rose when she saw what it was eating.

An arm was sticking out of its mouth and a mutilated torso was clutched in its other hand – the hand that hadn't bent the doorframe out of position. Blood was still leaking from the tiny torso and splattering on the floor. Although there was strangely no scent emanating from either being, the very sight alone made Jazz want to throw up. She stumbled backward as the monster turned towards her.

Its beady yellow eyes – that looked too human – landed on her immediately and it seemed to sniff the air once with its large nostrils in that horrendous white mask.

It took another paralyzing second before Jazz could act. By that time, the monster had thrown the child's torso in her direction.

A scream caught in her throat and she ducked, rolling to the side to avoid it falling on her head. She came to her feet just as the monster pounced. Her finger tightened involuntarily on the trigger and she fired one, two…three shots. The third shot nailed the monster directly in the gaping mouth and it was blasted backward into the wall before it disappeared into particles.

Breath hitching, Jazz's knees gave way and she slumped into a heap at the base of the wall. She drew her knees to herself, staring blankly at the gruesome sight that was displayed directly in front of her in all its glory. The blood was beginning to pool around it. How could there still be so much?

It was only a _child_. And a little boy judging from the blue shirt with a Transformers symbol on it.

Jazz clamped down on the vomit that was threatening to tise. She couldn't lose it now. Her dad and Vlad were depending on her to finish this. She just needed to get past this…obstacle.

She was so shaky that she could barely stand. Her eyes wouldn't leave the sight of the half-eaten corpse. Edging around it slowly, Jazz jumped onto the stairs and sprinted up, trying to escape the sight that was by now emblazoned into her memory.

She didn't stop until she reached the door labeled _Roof_ and had opened it. Cautiously, of course. She hadn't lost all sense of reason. A quick scan of the rather empty rooftop showed that it was clear of any man-eating monsters and she was clear to prop the door open with a block she had taken for this purpose.

Biting her lip and breathing shallowly, Jazz kept her ecto-gun at the ready. She pressed the Fenton Phone at her ear and turned them on so she could transmit. "I'm on the roof now." Damn. Her voice was too shaky.

"_Is everything all right, Jazz?_" Jack asked worriedly.

The _one _time she didn't want her dad to know and he caught on! Jazz closed her eyes and opened them a moment later; it was too dangerous to be blind. "Fine. Just ran into…something."

"_I presume you took care of it?_" Vlad said dryly.

"Of course." Jazz kept the Fenton Phones on now so she could continue transmitting. She'd taken care of the monster…but not before it killed an innocent had the parents been? Had the child known what was happening when the monster had attacked?

Taking her mind off of the gruesome sight that was still lying in the stairwell, Jazz moved around the small building where the door was located. She grabbed the ladder that was on the side and pulled herself up. The wind was buffeting her body at this point but she continued to tenaciously climb up.

'_For the children,_' she thought with dark humor. Pulling herself up, she found not a satellite dish but a small radio tower.

Jazz had just reached for a small gray device when a large shadow loomed over her. Startled, she glanced upward, only to freeze in place when she saw the gigantic monster that was hovering ten feet above her position. It looked like a giant moth, except that it had a gruesome white mask with large teeth and a large hole directly in its torso.

To her credit, Jazz didn't scream. Like any other girl, she disliked (or rather abhorred) insects. Unlike any other girl, she didn't scream on sight. She simply swallowed her fear and snuck away to tell her father or her little brother (who simply scoffed and went back to what he'd been doing before) so they could get rid of the little buggers.

But in this case, there was a gigantic moth monster hovering ten feet above her head that looked like it wanted a juicy bite out of her hide. So while Jazz didn't scream, she did give a sharp gasp and begin backing away from the radio tower.

Jack heard the gasp. "_Jazz?_"

"Giant moth," she said under her breath, knowing the sensitive mouth pieces would pick up her words and transmit them to Vlad and Jack. "Giant freakin' _moth_."

"_You mean the real variety or the monster?_" Vlad asked, sounding slightly alarmed.

When the moth swooped down on her, Jazz couldn't help it: she shrieked. "_Monster_!"

Scrambling, she jumped off the small building and landed on her toes, rolling to soften the impact to her knees. Coming to a halt on her feet, she grabbed her ecto-gun and began firing in the moth monster's direction.

"_Butter biscuits! You haven't **hit** it yet?_"

Jazz hit a wing and gored a hole in it. The monster opened its mouth and seemed to emit a shriek. However, while Jazz could see the monster, she couldn't hear it. She was thankful for that since it seemed to be extraordinarily loud: the ground was shaking and several pebbles rolled by her boots.

"I hit it!" Jazz shouted, sprinting to the side to avoid the monster crashing to the roof. It glared at her angrily, its wing now sporting a large hole in the middle of it. "It can't fly anymore!"

"_Brilliant!_" Jack encouraged.

"_It'd be more brilliant if she could destroy the thing instead of crippling it!_" Vlad snapped.

"I don't see you helping!" Jazz snapped back, firing off another shot.

A pink ecto-beam suddenly hit the monster in the back, flattening it into the roof. Shocked, Jazz looked up to see Vlad floating there with a finger to his ear.

"Oh, really?" The half-ghost smirked devilishly. "I'd call that helping."

"_Jazz? You okay?_" Jack asked anxiously.

"Fine," Jazz said, still looking at Vlad. "I got a handle on it."

But she'd spoken too soon. The monster climbed to its feet and leapt at her. She had no time to dodge as it grabbed her by the torso, its giant claw easily enveloping her slim form. Then, having procured its prize, the monster looked up at Vlad, seeming to snarl.

Vlad didn't look happy at all as he sneered at the monster. "Of course you have a hostage! I'm not blind, you great buffoon!"

"Is it talking?" Jazz gasped incredulously, trying to breathe through the tight grip the monster had on her. It was constricting her lungs.

"Of course," Vlad muttered, his fists flaring pink. "You can't hear it." His red eyes flicked towards the radio tower. "Did you at least install the blasted device before this thing arrived?"

"No!"

"Caramel tarts," Vlad swore, crouching down in midair.

Jazz could feel the monster tightening its grip on her in preparation. In an effort to give herself more breathing room, she inhaled as deeply as she could, enlarging her torso. It didn't help much.

"Vlad," she choked out, vision swimming. She'd be lucky to escape without cracked ribs.

"_Jazz?_" Jack was sounding frantic now. "_What's wrong? Do you need help? I can't reach Vlad!_"

'_Of course,_' she thought dizzily. '_That's why his finger was on his ear: he didn't want Dad to hear him rescuing me._'

In an effort to buy time, she expelled the last of her air to whisper, "It's fine."

Just as Jack shouted "_Jazz!_" Vlad made his move. Neither Jazz nor the monster expected the attack from behind that hit the monster square on the hand. The painful and unexpected attack caused the monster to lose its grip on Jazz and resulted in her falling to an ungraceful heap on the hard ground, gasping and coughing for breath.

The hostage freed, Vlad wasted no time in destroying the gruesome monster with a well-aimed blast to the mask. He landed on the ground next to the teenager.

"Can you breathe?"

"What…does it…sound like?" Jazz wheezed, shooting a glare at the blue-skinned half-ghost.

Vlad ignored it. "How are your ribs and arms?"

"I'll live," Jazz said, inhaling deeply and ignoring the twinges her muscles were giving her. She would be black and blue by the day's end – if she wasn't already – but she _would_ live.

"Your weapon?"

Jazz held it up; she hadn't let go of it once. "I'm not stupid."

"_Is Vlad there, Jazz?_" Jack inquired worriedly.

Vlad sighed aggravatedly and put a finger to his ear again. "I'm here, Jack. Your daughter is fine, if bruised. Be prepared to activate the device momentarily."

"_How'd you get to Jazz's position so quickly? You must be super fast!_"

"Yes, I suppose I am," Vlad said loftily, lifting Jazz up and flying her over to the radio tower.

Silently, Jazz unhooked the device she had reached for earlier. It magnetically attached to the radio tower and grew ten times its normal size. It began to glow a ghostly green that reminded Jazz of her brother's eyes in ghost form.

"Are all yours attached?" she asked the floating mayor.

"Of course," Vlad said snidely. "I am more than capable of handling a simple mission such as that."

The two were interrupted from their spat by the arrival of yet another shadow that landed by them. They looked over to the side to see yet another winged monster. This one was more humanoid in form but possessed wings resembling that of a bat; its hole was smaller and located directly between the collarbones.

"Batman," Jazz randomly said.

"_Sorry?_" Jack asked, confused.

"Nothing," she whispered, backing up behind Vlad. For some reason, she had the feeling that this monster was far worse than the last one.

Judging from the tension in Vlad's frame, he felt the same way.

"Jack, activate it," Vlad said in a low voice.

"_What, really? I thought you two were supposed to—_"

"Activate it!" Vlad shouted as the monster blurred from sight.

Jazz gave a scream of alarm when the monster suddenly reappeared directly in front of her and behind Vlad. Before it could attack her with its very sharp claws, Jack had activated the device.

Then her world exploded into green.

* * *

Danielle Phantom, better known as Dani to those familiar with her, was normally a very happy person. She hadn't always been happy, especially under the control of Vlad Masters. But since then and since she had been stabilized by her "cousin" she was very happy. She had the world at her fingertips and ready to explore.

There was _so much_ to see and _so much_ to do! And she could do it in her own sweet time! Ghost powers were _wickedly_ cool when it came to getting to places. She didn't have to worry about the crowds and could go into places where ordinary tourists could only dream of visiting.

Of course, it wasn't all sunshine. She still suffered from hunger and resorted to stealing to get her needs met. It always left her with a guilty pang in her chest that she resolutely pushed aside. What else was she supposed to do? She was half-ghost but she still needed to eat! (Half-ghost still meant half-human.)

But while she was normally a happy person filled with optimism, she was currently anything but happy at the moment. After a couple of weeks on the road, she had gradually begun to turn back to Amity Park to take her cousin's offer up on staying for a short while. But the moment she came into the general vicinity of the small town, she'd been accosted by these monsters that were only visible to her.

Dani hadn't been happy that she had to deal with monsters so soon after being stabilized. She was even less happy at the fact that she was forced to flee for her life. These monsters were convinced that she was a…

"SOUL!"

"Back off, uglies!" Dani screamed back at the two monsters that were keeping on her ghostly tail.

Green eyes narrowed in concentration, she made a hairpin turn and blasted right through them, causing them to separate in an act of self-preservation. She flicked her white ponytail back to see if that had done the trick but was sorely disappointed to see that they had resumed their dogged pursuit of her.

"What the _hell_ do you things want?"

"SOUL!" was the only answer she got.

"Yeah, well, you've got a problem! I'm _alive_!" Dani snapped, making a sharp U-turn and releasing ghostly energy in their direction. The green energy spread out in an arc to hit them directly in the chests. It blasted them backward.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Dani turned invisible and poured on the speed straight toward Amity Park. She _had_ to get there. Danny would undoubtedly know what to do. He'd been doing this ghost thing much longer than she had and would know what these things were and why they thought she was a soul.

She'd never seen these things before but that didn't mean they weren't a regular occurrence in good ol' Amity Park. From what she'd heard on the news, that place attracted a lot of ghosts. She hadn't stuck around long enough to find out herself but supposed she would soon enough.

Chancing a glance backward, Dani heaved a sigh of relief to see that the monsters had apparently lost her trail. Flickering back to visibility to conserve energy, Dani continued to streak through the air.

She instantly regretted the decision when something slammed into her side and sent her hurtling through the air in a series of uncontrolled flips. She had no time to reorient herself when she felt a piercing side in her side.

"_Agh_!" Dani let out a scream of pain and found her momentum abruptly arrested. She was hanging in midair with something sticking directly through her small frame. Ridiculously dizzy from the flips she'd underwent scant seconds before, she could barely focus on the white thing that was poking through one side and out the other.

All she knew was that she was in incredible pain and that green ectoplasm was leaking out around the wound. Moaning in pain, she gathered enough strength to see what had attacked her in such a vicious manner.

"Man…what are you supposed to be?" she muttered weakly, eyeing the large monster that currently had her speared on its finger. It was easily ten times her size and far larger than the last two monsters. Its white mask leered at her and its yellow eyes looked far too human, which was in direct contradiction with how inhuman they looked.

"Another half-ghost," it breathed on her. Its rancid breath made her gag and she immediately hated the reflex as it sent her insides into spasms of agony. Just then, an icy blue mist escaped her core and escaped into the air from her mouth. Super…her ghost sense was so helpful when it acted belatedly.

Then Dani realized what it had said. "Wait… _Another_ half-ghost?"

"Master will be pleased," the monster continued, ignoring Dani's question.

Panic flared in Dani as she realized that this meant that Danny had been discovered. '_Danny!_' The emotion gave her enough strength to activate her intangibility and she slid through the monster's finger, weakly hovering in the air. "You'll have to catch me first, you monster," she said, grinning at the shellshocked expression on the monster's face.

Her breaths came easier as her ghostly healing kicked in and the hole through her body closed. She would have a scar from that wound but at least she wouldn't die from being gored to death.

"You're mine!" the monster roared, swiping at Dani with a large hand.

Dani turned intangible again and let it fly through her. When she turned tangible again, her eyes were flashing a deadly green with anger. "I'm _no one's_!" She punctuated her vehement statement with a gigantic ghost ray in the monster's face.

The powerful green attack nailed the monster in-between the eyes and sent a large crack running through it. To Dani's surprise, the monster evaporated into millions of small particles.

"That was unexpected," she muttered, rubbing the bare side where the monster had pierced through her; she could feel the raised skin of the scar she was now sporting. Her black and white top was cut short at the midriff, exposing her belly button. Like her cousin's, it had the infamous DP emblem directly in the chest area.

Still fingering the area that was sending phantom pains through her body, Dani thoughtfully considered the space in the sky that the monster had occupied only seconds before. Who was this master the monster had spoken of?

Unfortunately for Dani, she had no further time to consider this pressing question as a tremendous pressure filled the air around her. She felt her ectoplasmic molecules vibrate and was extremely glad that Danny had found a way to stabilize her; if she was still destabilized, this pressure alone would have left her melting in midair with no way of regaining solid form.

Dreading what she would find, Dani slowly turned around. Her face turned white as she saw the hoardes of monsters that were surrounding her.

"Hell," she squeaked, flinching away. The movement seemed to signal something for her opponents as they converged onto her as a mass.

Left without any choice, Dani turned tail and flew as if the hounds of hell were on her heels…which they probably were. Her ghost sense hadn't gone off for any of these monsters. On cue, her ghost sense went off. It then proceeded to do so countless more times. Choking on the involuntary power, Dani made a sharp turn towards the earth, pouring on all the speed she could.

'_Stupid freakin' ghost sense! What's the use of it if it doesn't point out the ghosts **before** they show up? I know they're there **afterwards**!_' Coughing once and expelling the last of the cold air from her lungs, Dani concentrated her efforts on outflying these things.

Then, hoping that this would work a second time, Dani curved into a half somersault and, stomach facing the blue sky, hurtled towards the mass of monsters. Her lips were tightly pursed and her eyes blazing. Either this worked or she would have committed suicide for nothing.

To her great delight, it did work and the monsters scattered from the black and white bullet zipping through their midst. But when Dani came onto the other side, she found that she couldn't stop in time to avoid another monster that had been firing up some kind of red attack.

Giving a small "eep" in surprise, Dani reflexively closed her eyes as the attack enveloped her in overwhelming red. The very air around her seemed to distort and then she was in utter darkness.

* * *

When Jazz opened her eyes a second later after her world had exploded into green, it was to find that her sight was blocked by a gooey green substance. She lifted a hand and tried to wipe it off, only to find that her hand was smearing it and simply making it worse. Sighing in frustration, she peeled her goggles off and found herself looking at a gobsmacked monster that was covered with green ectoplasm.

It was a ridiculous sight and would have made her giggle in ordinary circumstances. But since this wasn't ordinary, Jazz used the monster's distraction to beat a hasty escape in the direction of the exit. She would have succeeded if her boots had enough traction. The gooey ectoplasm made her slip and fall onto her side. Trying to get to her knees was difficult as there was simply _no_ traction from the mess.

"Damn!" she swore under her breath.

"_Did it work?_" Jack asked eagerly.

"I'm not wearing my goggles and I see it," Jazz reported, glancing back at the monster. It was beating its wings in an effort to clear it from the goo. She couldn't see Vlad anywhere. "I'd say it worked."

"_Cool! Everything is green over here._"

Vlad suddenly appeared next to Jazz, spotlessly clean and floating several inches in the air. "This stuff sticks to my expensive suit but doesn't allow you to run away? Wonderful paradox, that."

Turning the Fenton Phones off so Jack wouldn't hear anything incriminating, Jazz gaped at him. "You – how come you're _clean_?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow at him. "Come, Jasmine. You don't honestly think I'd allow myself to be hit by this gunk a second time? I turned intangible of course."

"Then do you mind helping me _out_ of here?" Jazz shot the monster another look.

She was shocked to see it baring its teeth at her. "Filthy humans! You're turning out to be more trouble than what it's worth."

"It…it _talks_!"

"They all talk," Vlad pointed out dryly. "You just didn't hear it before. The goggles simply provided sight, not sound."

Jazz rolled her eyes at the man's statement but had nothing to say to that. On the other hand, she did have something to say to the monster. "If we're not worth it, then how come we're slowing you down?"

The monster flexed its clawlike fingers, a red light forming at the tip of the index finger. "Like I said, _human_, you're not worth it!" The attack fired at a hapless Jazz.

Unable to escape, Jazz found herself staring death in the eye. Then she was snatched away by a solid form. When the red had cleared from her vision, she saw that Vlad had grabbed her from death's jaws and was flying away as fast as possible.

"You're not fighting it?" she demanded in a breathless voice. Egads…she sounded like some stupid maiden in a fairytale.

"Are you mad?" Vlad sneered. "That thing is very powerful. It's significantly more sophisticated than the last one that took you hostage."

"More _sophisticated_?"

"Its language is eloquent," Vlad explained briefly in a cutting tone.

"And you find that a representation of sophistication?"

"Your brother."

"Point taken," Jazz muttered, recognizing Vlad's argument for what it was.

"_Everything all right?_" Jack butted in.

"Yes," Jazz said. She peered over Vlad's shoulder and gripped the half-ghost's shoulder in alarm. "It's after us!"

Vlad threw a look over his shoulder. "Oh, butter biscuits! It _flies_?"

"It has wings!" Jazz retorted.

"I see that!"

"Then why point out the obvious? You're sounding like Danny!"

"Heaven forbid," Vlad snarled, glaring back at the monster on their tails – or rather his cape, "that I ever sound like your brother."

"He'd be wittier," Jazz quipped.

Vlad said nothing but sent a duplicate off to deal with the monster flying after them. Then he spoke. "Brilliant as this plan was, it has done nothing to deal with the problem."

"At least we see them," Jazz pointed out reasonably. "And so will the rest of Amity Park."

Just as Jazz said this, screams erupted from the citizens of Amity Park. Vlad stopped flying for a moment and the two looked down to see the citizens shake free of their stupor and begin running around like headless chickens.

"But it might not be a good thing," she said, sighing.

"Oh, it's definitely a good thing," Vlad said sarcastically. "They're running into the fiends."

Indeed, several citizens had taken headfirst skids into the green muck and crashed into monsters, colliding into cars, buildings, lampposts, mailboxes, and traffic lights.

"I think your duplicate fried," Jazz finally said, chancing a look back to see that the monster had resumed its pursuit of them.

"I know," Vlad said shortly, baring his teeth in the monster's direction. "Excuse me." He unceremoniously dumped Jazz onto a van and shot off towards the monster. His unexpected action took the monster off guard, allowing him to nail a punch into the monster's torso.

The half-ghost turned intangibile to slip through the monster's body. Then he whirled around, forming a pink ecto-sword and slicing directly through the monster's left wing. The thing let out an unholy shriek that rattled the van Jazz was sitting on. The green ectoplasm nearly caused her to slip off but she pressed down flat, remaining on top.

Having incapacitated the monster, Vlad seized hold of the remaining wing to keep the thing aloft. Grinning ferociously right into the monster's disgusting mask, Vlad's eyes flared neon pink and he fired eye beams directly into the mask. The other being was obliterated into dust particles and Vlad rubbed his hands together smugly.

"Not worth it, eh?" he said in a smug tone. "How's that not worth it?"

"Nice!" Jazz hollered. "Now get me off!"

"My pleasure!" a new voice said grimly, snatching a very startled Jazz off her roost.

Jazz twisted her head around to see who the new arrival was. Her jaw dropped. "_Valerie_?"

* * *

Utter darkness was the first thing Dani registered as she felt herself hurtling into a new space. The red attack hadn't hurt her beyond being disorienting. Her eyes didn't reveal much aside from empty black and her ghostly glow was the only thing lighting the area around her.

She came to a stop. "Where am I?"

Not expecting a reply, Dani was startled out of her wits by an echoing voice resounding around her. "_Amusing. I hadn't expected them to actually **succeed** in capturing one of you. But then, I suppose the weakest is also the easiest to capture._"

Dani whipped her head back and forth, her white hair following suit. "Huh?"

"_And a **clone** no less. This is **truly** interesting._"

The voice knew she was a _clone_? _How_? Dani turned in a quick circle but saw absolutely nothing. "Who are you?" she demanded, hoping her voice wasn't as shaky as it sounded to her.

"_My apologies. You haven't a clue what's going on, do you, girl?_"

Fear made Dani shout, "Quit playing around!"

"_But I'm not playing. Your world has come to ruins around you and you're about to follow suit._"

"I don't know about you but this sounds like a game to me!" Dani yelled, firing an ecto-disk into the darkness. The green glow it emitted revealed nothing aside from black before the attack fizzled out. "So why don't you just show yourself instead of hiding like a coward!"

"_If you really insist…_" The voice disappeared into a round of evil chuckles.

Alarmed, Dani felt something grip her entire body before her vision blurred and she slammed into a hard ground. Stars burst in her eyes and her head throbbed. Forcing herself up, Dani saw that she was in a cavernous room that was filled with tanks. And inside those tanks were some very familiar beings.

"No way," she breathed, her mouth bone dry as she recognized the ghosts swimming in the murky water of the tanks. The familiar visage of one of Vlad's cronies – a ghost vulture – swam into view with bony appendages poking out of its beak before the ghost disappeared. But she had time to see the hole in the bird's chest.

The hole looked exactly like the holes of the monsters that had been chasing her.

Dani had no time to further consider the tanks around her when a smarmy voice eerily resembling that of Vlad's – except higher-pitched – broke into her consciousness. "_Another_ one? And such a delicate specimen at that!"

Did the person sound _delighted_? Dani furrowed her brow, her eyes searching out the source of the voice. She soon found it in the shadows of one of the tanks. A pink-haired man with white glasses perched on his nose stepped out into view. His eyes were a cool amber and a smirk twisted his mouth. His clothes were primarily white with some black and covered his entire neck.

"Who are you?" Dani asked cautiously, taking a wary step backwards. Her very core suddenly froze and she coughed out a white mist. The fact that her ghost sense was acting so strangely was _not_ good news.

The man's smirk widened at the sight. "Of course. You haven't a clue what's going on, do you?"

The statement reminded her of what the other voice had said in such a sneering way. Dani scowled and clenched her fists. "Maybe I would if somebody _told_ me! I don't know but…maybe that somebody could be _you_!" The tanks around them vibrated slightly at the power in her voice.

"Temper, temper," the man chided, a hand dropping to his hip. After a moment spent considering Dani's furious visage, he chuckled and said softly, "But I suppose it doesn't matter. I am Szayel Aporro Granz, Octava Espada."

"Octava _what_? And what kind of name is _that_? Who names their kid _Grant_?"

The man's face darkened in anger and his mouth twisted into a snarl. "_Szayel-san_ to you, brat!" A tremendous force slammed into Dani and she unconsciously found herself shrinking to escape it.

"Fine," she said tremulously, trying to stop her body's quakes. "Shazel it is then."

Shazel's eyebrow twitched and his fingers dropped to the sword at his hip. "You'll be fun to break," he said in a threateningly quiet voice.

Dani's mouth curved into a smirk. "You'll find that I'm not that easy to break, you twit."

When Shazel whipped out his sword and leapt towards the half-ghost, Dani was ready. She twisted out of the way and fled into the rows of tanks. The mutated version of Ember floated into view before the musical ghost flickered into invisibility.

Hardly sparing any thought to the trapped ghosts around her, Dani slid to a halt directly by a tank. Instinctively, she just knew that she was no match for Shazel. He was incredibly easy to rile up but she knew that it wouldn't do a thing to help her beat him if he was too powerful. Judging from the sheer strength she could feel emanating off of him, he _was_ too strong for a ghost of her caliber to deal with.

For Pete's sake, she was only about a year old! Screwing her eyes shut for a moment, Dani exhaled shakily and opened them, only to shriek in surprise to see that Shazel had kneeled down in front of her. His eyes glittered malevolently and his smile promised painful things to come.

"You're a delicate little thing, aren't you?" he murmured, reaching a long pale hand in her direction.

Dani flinched, slapping his hand away and throwing a punch. With the unexpected retaliation, her fist made contact with Shazel's face and sent him flying back into a tank. She used the opportunity to slip away, using her invisibility.

She had to _get away_!

But somehow, Shazel knew exactly where she was going and appeared in front of her again. What was he? A freakin' psychic?

Squeezing her eyes shut, Dani flung a ghost ray in his direction but found her attack blocked when something wrapped around her fist. Her eyes flickered down towards her hand, which was covered with Shazel's much larger appendage. She looked up into Shazel's cold face and kicked upwards, releasing ghost energy through her foot.

The attack hit the man in his gut and let her flee through the tanks again. She was running low on energy by now and didn't know how much longer she could go on for. Flying at top speed, performing evasive maneuvers, and fighting other monsters would do that to a girl.

In an attempt to conserve energy, Dani let the bluish-white rings of her transformation wash over her, transforming her into a black-haired blue-eyed girl in jeans and jacket. She wore a red cap. Hunching down by a tank, she activated her invisibility just in time as Shazel stepped directly next to her.

Stifling a gasp, Dani pressed against the tank in an effort to make herself as small as possible. Just because he couldn't see her didn't mean anything.

Indeed, Shazel's amber eyes brushed over her but didn't seem to see anything. He took two steps forward before suddenly swinging around and slamming his sword directly besides her cheek. A thin cut opened and bled right before it sealed over. Yet Dani didn't pay attention to the near miss as she was more occupied by the tank bursting into shards of dangerous glass and the water in it washing over her. As she had been pressed against the obstruction that was now gone, she fell over backwards onto her butt.

Shocked, she dropped her invisibility and gazed up fearfully into Shazel's manic eyes.

"You really insult my intelligence," Shazel said in a dangerously soft tone, "if you presume to think that such a measly trick would hide you from my eyes. I've investigated your kind, you see. While the others here might not be as unique as you, you do possess the same powers. Invisibility is no longer as good as a hiding technique as it might once have been. And intangibility?" He shrugged, throwing Dani an evil smirk. "It might just as well not even _exist_."

Without another word, Dani flashed back into her ghost form and flipped onto her stomach. She swung her legs around and knocked Shazel's out from under him, dropping him to the ground with a grunt. Then, fully panicking now, Dani shot up into the air, only to find that she couldn't fly anymore.

Her white boots landed in the water with a splash and she found her arms clutched in Shazel's iron grip.

"Your parlor tricks will no longer work on me," Shazel breathed, his fingers digging into Dani's skin through the thin material of her outfit. "I_ am_ a scientist after all."

"Oh really?" she said weakly.

Irritation flashed across Shazel's face. "Yes, really."

"I find it difficult to believe that you could shut down something like…say…_super strength_." With a grunt, Dani twisted out of Shazel's cast iron grip with effort – man he was _strong_! – and sprinted into the shadows of the tanks. There had to be some place she could hide!

Well aware of the advantages of zig zagging, Dani took a sharp right by a tank and glanced over her shoulder. Thus, she lost her footing when her foot didn't land on the expected material and instead into empty space. She hurtled head over heels and landed on her back with a pained "oomph".

Blinking, she found that she was no longer in the dark cavern. Rather, she was staring up into what seemed like a tower with clocks hanging all over the walls.

Rather bemused by now, Dani shifted her weight onto her elbows, looking up at her savior.

The blue-skinned old man in a purple cloak morphed into a small child and gave her a toothy grin. "Welcome, Dani Phantom."

Shocked and completely out of her element by now, the only thing Dani could do was nod weakly and say, "Thanks."

* * *

_"**Valerie**?"_

The teenaged girl in the red and green splattered suit gave Jazz a dirty look. "I'm the _Red Huntress_!"

Jazz drew back in shock, finding her footing on the red hoverboard the ghost hunter was expertly manuevering. "My apologies," she said icily. "Forgive me if you resemble a girl I'm rather familiar with, _Red Huntress_."

Valerie scoffed, turning her attention to Vlad. "Since you already know who I am…" she grumbled.

"What have you been doing?" Jazz demanded.

"What does it _look _like?"

"It _looks_ like you've been taking a bath in green goo," Jazz said, smirking.

"Back at ya, sister," Valerie said, pointing an ecto-gun at Jazz's jumpsuit, which was drenched in green ectoplasm. "What happened to _you_?"

"I was right next to the device," Jazz responded. "I'm guessing you were in the air?"

"And fighting one of those things." Valerie shot at Vlad, who yelped and moved out of the way.

"What are you doing?" Vlad demanded ferociously, swooping towards Valerie.

The girl flinched but to her credit didn't do more than that. "What do you think? I'm hunting you!"

Jazz snatched Valerie's gun away before she could do anything else, grabbing onto Valerie's arm so she wouldn't fall. "Idiot! He's _helping_ us!"

Valerie looked at her incredulously. "_Him_? _Helping_?"

"As hard as it is to believe," Vlad said acidly, "I do have self-preservation instincts. These things are no friends of mine."

"They aren't even ghosts," Jazz added. "How were you able to see them anyway?"

"I saw them through my visor," Valerie said, tapping the pink plate of glass that protected her face. "It was funny. When they blasted through our apartment wall, I didn't see anything until I activated my ghost hunting equipment."

Vlad considered that for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes. "Of course. It was made by a ghost."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Valerie asked.

"Only objects imbued with ghost energy are capable of viewing these things," Vlad said.

"It's why we just blasted the whole entire town with ectoplasm," Jazz explained. "We discovered that using a sticky version of this made them visible to the naked eye."

Valerie sighed, accepting that explanation for now. She looked down at the chaotic streets, firing at a monster that decided to jump at them. She hit it on the mask and it dissipated. "Fine. Where are your parents?"

"My dad's somewhere," Jazz said slowly, wondering why she hadn't heard anything from his end for awhile. It was possible he just hadn't had anything to say. He _was_ by himself after all. "My mom…had a bit of an accident when this first happened."

Valerie gritted her teeth and fired murderously into the chaos below them. "I'm going to _kill_ them all! They nearly killed my dad!"

Vlad seized Valerie's weapon. "Now, now… We need to approach this strategically. There are far more of these things and we are outnumbered. As much as I…_admire_ your approach, we need something more strategically sound."

Jazz snorted. "Oh, you don't admire anything, Plasmius," she said, using his ghost name. "But I do agree with that."

Vlad shot her a nasty grin. "Brilliant, Jasmine. Now contact your father. We need all hands on deck for this."

Jazz touched her earpiece, turning it back on. "Dad?" When there was no answer, she tried again. "Dad, it's Jazz. Are you all right?"

There was only static in response and she shook her head in response to Valerie's and Vlad's questioning looks.

"What is that buffoon doing now?" Vlad muttered, scowling furiously.

"He might have taken the earpiece off," Jazz suggested, hoping that it wasn't true.

"Why would he do that?" Valerie demanded.

"He's absentminded like that," Jazz said, sighing.

Valerie seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, okay… I think I get that. Ghost _helpers_, seriously…"

The last bit confused both Jazz and Vlad but they had no time to press her on the matter as there was an even larger commotion on the streets. Looking down, they gaped as a very familiar and large vehicle barreled down the streets, smashing into monsters and barely avoiding the people that were scrambling out of the way.

Jack Fenton's familiar head poked out of the window of the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle. "Here I am, you big gooey monsters from hell!"

Jazz glanced over at Vlad to find that he had vanished from view, apparently not trusting that Jack wouldn't shoot him on sight. That just left her with Valerie, who was staring down at the vehicle in what seemed to be disgust.

Jazz patted Valerie on the shoulder. "It'll be all right."

When Jack jumped out of the vehicle only to fall flat on his rump as his feet slid out from underneath him, Jazz winced and muttered, "I hope."

* * *

**How'd you guys like that? We haven't seen the last of this group, I can tell you that much! Let me know what you thought by dropping a REVIEW! Feel free to point out grammatical errors and whatnot.  
**

**Starting tomorrow, I will be heading off to college. Classes start on the 25 and I will be a freshman, meaning that I have no clue how much time I will be having to write. Nevertheless, I will finish this story. It will take time, but I will get there eventually. Wish me luck!  
**


	29. Penelope Spectra

**Yeah, errr...hi! Sorry for the wait, but life's been busy. I've been on spring break for the past week and I finished my other story, Phantom City (though I haven't posted everything. Check it out if you can!), so I didn't have any writing time for this story until today. I'm going to try and finish this one, too, as I know there's not much left. And I mean finish it _soon_. I'm so close to the end I can practically taste it...**

**Thanks to _ZXCVBNMEM, DragonKnight15, Jackatlasfan9999, Brad W, Riqis Inna Sunja, Talk Bubble, Mak8907, MangaMagic, Leo112, SpartanCommander, Nightrel, SneakyDevil, mist shadow,_ and _psykotic addiction_ for reviewing the last chapter! I'm thrilled you guys liked it! :)**

**Please drop a REVIEW when you're done. I'd love to hear from you!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Penelope Spectra**

* * *

Following the exciting escapade Danny had when he ran into the Vizards training Ichigo, two relatively stress free and peaceful days passed. Sure there had been hollows and Danny swore he saw a couple of actual spirits around with broken chains from their chests but nothing much else happened.

This was both relieving and worrying.

From experience, Danny knew full well that when things were this quiet, something big was brewing on the horizon. He'd brought this up to his friends but they were of the opinion that if nothing was happening then things were good. Never mind that the last time he'd pointed out that things were too quiet did a ghost fire a red beam at them and dump them in Japan in an alternate dimension.

In the meantime, though, the trio was walking back to their apartment after school. Danny had his hands shoved into his pockets and was studying his feet as he walked. Next to him was Sam while Tucker lagged behind a bit, looking at something on his PDA.

"Was today's assignment due Tuesday or Thursday?" Tucker asked.

"Tuesday," Sam answered, glancing back at him. "I thought you wrote that down in class."

"I did. It didn't save for some reason."

Listening with half an ear to his friends, Danny ignored the whiff of blue air that escaped his lips. The hollow that had set it off would be taken care of by one of the shinigamis that was occupying Karakura Town.

He stopped dead upon hearing something breathe that did not sound human.

Sam continued onward for another foot before realizing he had stopped. "Danny?"

Slowly turning his head to the side, Danny's eyes widened when he saw the hollow that was standing above and to the side of them on a tree that was behind a wall. It was gazing down at them – or more particularly him – with a hungry look on its masked face. Its mask was separated with a ridge in the middle and its eyes were two empty black holes.

Tucker was inspecting him curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Move." Danny's voice was quiet.

Tucker frowned. "What?"

The hollow sprung just as Danny shouted, "I said _move_!"

He grabbed Tucker by the arm and threw him forward, skidding backwards as he did. Tucker collided with Sam just as the hollow slammed into the sidewalk between them. The ground rattled with the impact, throwing both Tucker and Sam off balance and onto their butts.

"Danny, what's going on?" Sam shouted, alarmed.

"Don't just sit there! Run!" Danny's eyes whipped around to see if anyone was there. To his alarm, they weren't the only ones. Though it was a relatively quiet neighborhood, there were still cars driving by. There was no way he could transform in this neighborhood.

"You can see me?" the hollow growled. It sounded delighted. "This should be _fun_."

Danny's eyes narrowed. He slid his foot back to widen his stance. He slid his backpack halfway off, never taking his eyes off the hollow.

"There's something standing right in front of us, isn't there?" he heard Tucker ask Sam.

The question had Danny reflexively look over at his friends. This turned out to be a mistake, as the hollow used his distraction as an opportunity to twist around and lunge at his friends.

'_No!_' Danny slung his backpack into his hand and flung it forward, beaning the hollow at the back of the head. "It's me you want," he shouted, "so leave them alone!"

The weight of his backpack coupled with the force Danny threw it with bowled the hollow over, leading it to crash into the ground. The impact startled Sam and Tucker enough that they scrambled to their feet and to the side, their eyes fixed on the stretch of sidewalk that their friend was fixated on.

The backpack now lay forgotten several feet away from the head of the hollow. The monster was getting up, shaking its head as if the blow had stunned it. It twisted its head around, its empty eyes meeting Danny's. The half-ghost swore that it was glaring at him.

"You all look so tasty," it whispered. The twitch of its head showed that it was looking at Sam and Tucker before glancing back at Danny. "But _you_ look the tastiest…"

'_Nail it in the mask, nail it in the mask,_' Danny chanted silently to himself. '_But with what?_'

He couldn't shoot a ghost ray at it; the place they were in was far too public. To prove his point, yet another car drove by. But the hollow was still there and not going to leave simply because he couldn't find something to destroy the mask with.

To his consternation, his friends still hadn't left. They were hovering at the edge of the sidewalk and the street, standing in-between two parallel parked cars on the curbside.

Danny's eyes flicked back and forth between his friends and the hollow. The spirit had straightened fully to its height of fifteen feet and was leering at him.

"_YOU'RE MINE_!" it roared, pouncing on him.

Tucking and rolling, Danny slid under the monster. He twisted to his feet and jumped backwards, almost tripping over his backpack as he did. The second it cost him led the monster to jump on him again.

This time Danny couldn't stop himself from reflexively firing an ecto-beam. Because he was leaning backwards and halfway twisted to the side, the beam hit the monster at an angle, throwing it backwards into the car next to Tucker. The violent explosion that erupted flung Tucker back into the street…directly into the path of an oncoming car.

"_Tucker_!" There was almost no time to think. Instinctively, Danny forced energy to his feet and _pushed_. The world blurred past him and suddenly he was crashing into Tucker, moving him out of the way of the oncoming car. Danny tumbled right after him, rolling head over heels to land on his back.

"_Danny_! _Tucker_! Oh my God!" He could hear Sam's panicked cries and the screech of the car's tires as the driver slammed on the brakes. "Are you two all right?"

Despite the pain in his legs – oh Lord, why were his muscles on _fire_? – Danny rolled over to his stomach to try and see where the hollow went. His breath left him in one giant _whoosh_ as he saw Zennosuke arrive on the scene to slash through the hollow's mask. He quickly looked away before the shinigami saw him looking at them.

As he turned his head to the side, he saw the driver exit the car that had almost run over Tucker. It was a middle-aged female with black hair that was speckled with gray. She wore a formal business suit and wire-rimmed glasses. Her high-heels clacked on the ground as she rushed over to the two teens that were sprawled on the street. Danny absentmindedly wondered how she could even walk in those things.

"Kami, I'm sorry!" Her voice was high-pitched and panicked. "I didn't see you! Are you all right?"

"I think I'm fine," Tucker said, shakily getting to his feet. "D-Haruki, are you all right?"

Danny tried to get to his feet as well but failed as his legs gave out under him. He let out a small groan of pain as he recognized the feeling of having fractured his bones in multiple places. He should know considering he'd broken limbs before while fighting ghosts. The question was how he'd managed to fracture his bones this time.

"Did I hit you?" the woman asked frantically.

"I'm fine," Danny said through gritted teeth, trying to push through the pain and stand. It was worse considering he was in human form and not in ghost. His legs would heal faster if he was a ghost.

"Don't stand if you're not feeling well." Tucker pushed him down.

"I said I'm fine," Danny repeated, annoyed. He had no desire to go to a hospital here. "You didn't hit me," he told the woman.

"Are you sure, Haruki?" Sam asked. She'd come over now since it seemed the scene was clear from any invisible hollows. "You look kind of white."

'_Considering that's how I normally look, it's not such a big difference,_' Danny thought sourly.

"Did you injure your spine?" The woman had pulled out her cell phone. "I'm calling an ambulance."

"I can stand!" Danny brushed Tucker's hands away and jumped to his feet. He regretted this action instantly as waves of pain wracked his legs and he almost tipped over. He fell into Tucker, who wobbled slightly before managing to support his friend. "Don't call an ambulance!" he snapped at the woman, who almost dropped her phone at the harsh tone in his voice.

"But you need help!"

"I'm fine," Danny said, feeling like a broken record. "My legs are just a bit shaky."

The fact that he was still leaning on Tucker for support gave this claim less credibility than it would have had otherwise.

"I'm not surprised," Sam said, managing to sound somewhat cheery, though her white knuckles belied her worry. "That was a close shave!"

"Really close," Danny agreed, unable to suppress a wince as needle-like pain shot through his legs. "You didn't hit me."

"If you're absolutely certain…" The woman hesitated slightly, brown eyes flickering between the three teenagers.

"You didn't hit me!" Tucker said brightly, hitching an arm around Danny to make it seem like he was just shouldering him rather than supporting more than half his weight.

"I was over there," Sam said, pointing to the sidewalk, which had cracks running through it from a point of impact.

"I say I'm fine," Danny repeated stubbornly.

"If you don't want to go to a hospital, I know of a small clinic nearby that can make sure everything's all right," the woman offered.

Danny opened his mouth to protest but was cut off when Tucker subtly stepped on his toes. A hiss of pain slid through his teeth; even his toes hurt!

"That'd be great, thanks!" Tucker said, squeezing Danny's shoulder. "At least get checked out!" he whispered into Danny's ear. "It's too suspicious otherwise!"

Danny stifled a groan. It'd be suspicious either way. They weren't pressing for the police to be called and he could see that the woman was relieved about this. But for the sake of normality, he gave a nod in acceptance.

"I'll drive you there," the woman said swiftly when she saw Danny's nod.

With Tucker's help, Danny managed to hobble into the car and slid into the backseat, unable to repress a pained hiss as he jostled his legs. Tucker got in beside him while Sam got in last, still holding Danny's backpack.

As the woman started the car and pulled away, Sam and Tucker shot Danny questioning looks.

He gestured in the direction of his legs and mouthed, "_Fractures_."

His friends made silent "_Ohs_" of comprehension and nodded, wincing slightly as they realized what sort of pain Danny must be in at the moment.

The car ride was completed in utter silence, as the trio wasn't comfortable with talking with a stranger in the car and the woman was too anxious to drop them off.

When they arrived in front of the house, Danny and his friends froze in shock upon seeing the sign "Kurosaki Clinic" hanging up in front. But it was a bit too late to protest now as the woman had run inside to let the doctor know.

"Damn!" Danny hissed, squeezing his eyes shut and banging his head against the headrest. "Just what I needed!"

"Ichigo's probably not even home!" Sam said, not sounding very sure herself. "We've never met his dad before so we should be safe, right?"

On cue, Danny's ghost sense went off as a series of harsh coughs wracked his frame, sending plumes of blue smoke into the car and chilling the atmosphere. "Ah, crap. A ghost like Vortex is just what I need to make my day complete."

Sam scrambled to open the door, almost tripping over feet as she got out. Tucker grabbed hold of Danny's arm and pulled him out afterward.

"Ow!" Danny hissed as his legs let out sparks of pain with the movement. It was much less than before but still present. "Watch it, Kenshin!"

"You're not going after the ghost!" Sam snapped, her face white.

"Who said I was?" Danny rolled his eyes in irritation, leaning against the frame of the car as the woman and a bearded black-haired man in a doctor's robe who seemed to be Ichigo's dad came out of the house. "I'm leaving that to the shinigamis, remember? 'Sides, I don't think that it's going to be another ghost as powerful as Vortex again, so I'm probably not needed."

He didn't mention that Ichigo still had a thermos on him, which he hoped he would use when he ran across the ghost. Then again, shinigamis dealt with hollows by completely destroying them. Who was to say they wouldn't try the same thing with the ghosts?

Mentally cringing at the image that thought conjured for him, Danny made a note to talk to Ichigo as soon as possible about using that thermos for any ghosts he encountered.

All thoughts about that flew out of his head, however, as Ichigo's father came up to him, two girls following him with a stretcher.

"So what seems to be the problem?" he asked, looking completely professional compared to his son with his bright orange hair. "My name is Kurosaki Isshin, and I'll be your doctor."

"Hi," Danny said. "Nothing's wrong. It's—"

"She said you ran in front of her car?" Isshin asked, glancing in the direction of the woman. "And that your legs are hurting?"

"I'm fine," Danny insisted, pushing himself off the car to a standing position. He didn't even wince as his legs sent shooting pains up his spine and down his arms. "See?"

"Since you three are in good hands," the woman said, sidling by her car, "I'm going to leave. I'm late for an important appointment."

As Danny and Isshin were currently facing each other down in a staring match and Sam was busy biting her lips and trying not to laugh at the comical sight, it fell to Tucker to say, "Thanks for your help."

The woman nodded sharply and hopped into her car to drive off. The sudden movement made Danny wobble slightly and Isshin jumped on the momentary weakness.

He grabbed hold of Danny and threw him onto the stretcher. "Quick, Yuzu, Karin! Bring him inside!"

The two girls – one blonde-haired with a focused expression on her face and the other black-haired with a "What the hell is this?" expression – ran into the house with their father chasing after them.

This left Sam and Tucker outside, staring after the sight.

"Is it just me or is Ichigo's dad slightly crazy?" Tucker finally said.

"Oh Lord," Sam groaned, trudging into the house after her boyfriend. "Not another Jack Fenton."

Meanwhile, inside the house, Danny had been placed on a bed and was having his legs inspected by Isshin. He had a frown on his face and was resolutely ignoring the doctor hovering by his feet.

"Does this hurt?" Isshin asked, tapping Danny's knee with a small hammer.

As the doctor had tapped a certain muscle that caused Danny's leg to jerk in reflex, he couldn't refrain the small yelp that escaped him as pain shot up his leg. Isshin followed this up on the other leg, with Danny merely grimacing heavily as he managed to bite down on his lip in time.

"Well, now," Isshin said, straightening up as Sam and Tucker came in, "I can't be sure but I think your bones are fractured. I'll go and schedule an X-ray at the hospital; I don't have that kind of machinery here."

That said, Isshin left the room, leaving Sam, Tucker, and Danny by themselves.

"Great!" Danny huffed, folding his arms together. "By the time we get to an X-ray machine, my legs will have healed. What are we going to do _then_?"

"He said he isn't sure," Sam said, shooting a glance into the doorway to be sure that Isshin couldn't hear them talking. "So you might be able to pass it off as something else."

"Yeah…like me tripping over the curb." Danny smacked his legs in irritation, grimacing as they gave off twinges of pain again. "What I'd like to know is how it happened in the first place. I wasn't hit by the car – I _know_ I wasn't."

Tucker shrugged in response while Sam pursed her lips.

"I'm not quite sure what happened exactly," she said slowly, "but you didn't just jump at Tucker. It didn't look like you flying. This looked more like…teleportation of a sort."

"Teleportation?" both boys exclaimed.

"Not really," Sam amended, rubbing her neck as she thought. "There was a small lapse in-between you being in one place and then in the other. What I saw was you looking at Tucker, and then you weren't there anymore. You just seemed to…blur. Almost right after I saw that you blurred back into view again after you pushed Tucker out of the way."

"I _blurred_?" Danny repeated, frowning in thought. That description sounded somewhat familiar and he thought back to what he had seen the shinigamis do while he was in Soul Society. That had been their mode of transportation if they had wanted to get someplace very quickly. "That sounds like the shinigamis," he said, catching his friends' attention. "But that doesn't make any sense. I'm a ghost, not a spirit."

"Yeah but you have reiatsu now," Tucker pointed out. "Normal ghosts don't have that either."

"And I'm not a normal ghost?"

"You're _half_-ghost," Tucker said, dropping his voice so no one else overheard. "So, yeah, you're not exactly normal. But think about it: if you have reiatsu now, and that's what spirits have, doesn't it stand to reason that you can do what spirits can? And if shinigamis can do that blurring thing you did, doesn't that mean _you_ should be able to do it now because you've got reiatsu?"

"Point," Danny accepted, sighing. "Now I have to make sure I don't pull this kind of stuff when I'm not in ghost form."

A very bright, chirpy, and completely unwelcome voice broke in on the trio's conversation. "Well, now! What do we have here – _you_!"

An instant later Danny, Sam, and Tucker also shouted, "_You_!"

The next bit was said simultaneously, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Penelope Spectra narrowed her eyes from behind her glasses. "I'm here because I was sent here," she snapped out, tapping her foot on the wooden floor. "What are you doing here, Phantom? You and your…_friends_?" she sneered.

"You were _sent_ here?" Danny sounded incredulous. "By who?"

"Whom," Sam corrected absentmindedly, earning herself three "Are you serious?" glares. She flushed, embarrassed. "Yeah, never mind."

"It's none of your business whom I was sent here by," Spectra said, narrowing her eyes at Danny.

"Even if it's not his business, I'd say it's _my_ business," Ichigo's voice said. "Why is a ghost inside my house?"

* * *

**Earlier that morning…**

"Hee-yah!" Ichigo grunted loudly as he threw Hiyori back into a boulder, her mask crumbling into pieces.

His own mask started disintegrating into black smoke as he looked over at Shinji, panting heavily. "How…was that?"

Shinji was staring at the watch blankly, having already been thoroughly desensitized to Ichigo's monstrous levels of stamina. "Thirty minutes."

Grinning tiredly, Ichigo stuck Zangetsu into the ground, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his outfit as he did. "I think I'm done here, don't you?"

"Don't be so confident, baka!" Hiyori roared, throwing her sandal at the teenager.

It fell short, landing at Ichigo's feet rather than on his head. He stared blankly at the pitiful sight. "Did you mean to do that?"

Sitting on top of the ruins of a shattered boulder was a panting and sweating Hiyori. She looked frustrated. "I did!" she snapped.

"Right." Ichigo turned back to the others. "So like I was saying earlier, I think I'm done. Unless you have anything else?"

"Well…" Shinji looked at the rest of the Vizards sans Hiyori and found that they had nothing to offer. "Yep, looks like that's about it. You've got your inner hollow under control and you've got a pretty decent time limit." He tapped the face of the watch he was still holding. "'Course, if we have anything else, we'll pull you in."

"No random kidnappings," Ichigo warned, pointing a finger in Shinji's direction. "You talk to me _before_ deciding anything. I have a life outside of my shinigami duties!"

"We never would have guessed!" Hiyori's loud scream was ignored by everyone.

"Yeah, all right," Shinji agreed. He smiled at Ichigo, who looked rather surprised at the expression. "Great job, Ichigo. We'll see you around. And good luck."

"Yeah, well…" Ichigo scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Thanks, I guess." He hitched Zangetsu on his back. "See ya!" He shunpoed out.

"You really think he's ready?" Lisa asked once he'd gone.

Shinji looked down at the watch he was holding, which displayed a proud thirty minutes. Ichigo's mask hadn't shattered at that point; it had _disintegrated_. Which meant that Ichigo had voluntarily let the mask go. He'd already surpassed all expectations heaped on him.

And it was all because of Fantomu.

"He's about as ready as he'll ever be," Shinji answered, looking at the stairs where Ichigo had left.

Hiyori trudged over to her lone sandal, looking down on it with a scowl on her face.

"Okay, everybody, let's wrap it up!" Shinji called, tucking the watch away. "We've got things to do!

"After all," he said, eyes flashing, "Aizen isn't going to wait around forever, is he?"

* * *

It took Ichigo about fifteen minutes to make his way from the warehouse to a better part of town. Once there, he set off home, thinking about what he'd have to tell his folks to excuse this latest absence.

As engrossed in his thoughts as he was, he didn't notice Zennosuke coming up on him until the shinigami hollered loudly, "KUROSAKI!"

Ichigo jumped and whirled around, seeing Zennosuke perched on a nearby tree that was by the sidewalk. "Oh, it's you." He looked around, saw no one was around, and walked over. "Did you want something?"

"Nah." Zennosuke hopped down, standing by Ichigo. "Just came to tell you that a hollow attacked Fantomu and his friends a little while ago."

Ichigo frowned, worried (not that Zennosuke could tell; frowning was Ichigo's default expression). "And?"

"I took care of it but I just thought you should know that Fantomu did shunpo."

Ichigo had to run that statement through his head twice to make sure he understood correctly. "You're telling me that Fantomu – a _ghost_ – just performed _shunpo_, which is something that _spirits_ do. Are you sure you didn't confuse it with something else?"

Zennosuke shook his head, looking peeved that Ichigo could even suggest such a thing. "I'm a shinigami, I know what shunpo looks like. And this was definitely shunpo. He pushed his friend out of the way of a car. Besides, I could tell that he used reiatsu. If it'd been something else, I wouldn't have sensed that."

"And you're telling me this _why_?" What was Zennosuke's motive? Wasn't Soul Society supposed to be _after_ Fantomu, not reporting to him if something like this happened? It was why Danny and his friends were supposed to stay away! Besides, they'd been in disguise. How did Zennosuke recognize them?

Zennosuke looked rather uncomfortable. "Look…Fantomu hasn't done anything, all right? As far as I can tell, he's just a kid. A kid with powers but still just a kid. He seems to know what he's doing and while he might be dangerous to hollows, I don't think he poses any danger to us."

Ichigo raised a skeptical eyebrow. Any "kid" who was able to band together a bunch of ghosts to escape from the Senzaikyuu was probably powerful enough to pose a threat to shinigamis.

Zennosuke flushed, seeing the look Ichigo was shooting him. "Okay, so he might be a danger to us. But that's only if we _threaten_ him, see? I'd do the same if I were him. So I can't say I agree with the soutaichou. Since I know you're not exactly on Soul Society's best side—"

"You think?" Ichigo muttered.

"—it means you probably don't tell them everything. Since you live here, I figured you can keep an eye on him," Zennosuke finished. "That's it. I don't have any ulterior motives or anything else that you're thinking about. And just so you know, I knew it was them despite their different hairstyles because the girl called their names. American names are very distinctive here."

Ichigo shot him a narrow-eyed stare that made the shinigami squirm a little as he felt the other shinigami's powerful reiatsu. "I'll look into it," he said slowly.

"Okay, great!" Zennosuke nodded frantically. "I'll be going now then. Don't want the others to see me with you."

He shunpoed off without another word, leaving Ichigo standing by the tree. Slowly, the orange-haired substitute shinigami again headed home.

'_Well, that's just a botheration,_' he thought, rubbing the side of his head. '_Guess I'll have to go to Urahara's and tell him about this latest development. Danny's developing reiatsu and now he's got shunpo as well? What else will he be doing?_' He pictured Danny waving a zanpakutou around and shivered. '_Yeah… I kinda hope that doesn't happen._'

Realizing that he was almost home by now, Ichigo shook himself out of his thoughts and kept on the lookout for any sneak attacks.

As such, he was badly startled when his badge went off, loudly shrieking, "HOLLOW! HOLLOW! HOLLOW!"

"A hollow? Here?" Ichigo lifted it up, frowning as he broke into a run. "But it also goes off around ghosts, so which is it?"

He couldn't sense any reiatsu but that didn't mean anything because his reiatsu sensing skills were complete and utter crap. So that left him with this badge, which was directing him across the street and directly to his house.

Hang on…his _house_? What the hell would a hollow be doing here? Karin would instantly raise the alarm if something like that even stuck its _nose_ through the front door. Not to mention Kon would raise a stink, too.

That only left a ghost as the culprit. But what would a ghost be doing in his house? It wasn't widely known even among the hollows (meaning not at all) and shinigamis (meaning only a few knew) that he was a substitute shinigami and from what he could tell, ghosts were even worse than he was at sensing reiatsu.

Even if Danny had somehow found his address, the badge had never gone off around the half-ghost. So with a hollow off the list and Danny _definitely_ thrown out the window, that only left a ghost, however improbable it seemed.

Still, there was only one way to check and that was to go inside. He wished he had the thermos on him but it was upstairs in his bedroom. But he'd have to go upstairs anyway to leave his body; he couldn't leave it lying around out here because his sisters or his dad would definitely notice and suspect something was wrong. Karin already knew about his shinigami duties but she didn't need a shock like seeing his soulless body lying around outside somewhere by the house.

Deciding to sprint upstairs before the ghost noticed his presence, Ichigo was brought to a screeching halt outside the door to his dad's clinic when he heard a trio of familiar voices.

"_You_!"

Then four voices started speaking at once. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Suspecting that he'd just found the ghost considering that Danny and his friends were sitting in his dad's clinic (and why was that exactly?), Ichigo sidled to the side of the door and peeked in to see what he was dealing with. He only caught sight of Danny sitting on a bed with Sam and Tucker in front of him. All three of them were facing what seemed to be a female with red hair that went up in two separate spikes that sort of resembled horns.

He vaguely wondered what it was with ghosts and their fashion sense. This ghost – she wasn't glowing and didn't look like a ghost but Danny seemed hostile and was familiar with her so she probably was – seemed well dressed enough (if one could call a skimpy skirt and a skintight shirt good fashion) but her hairstyle was just _awful_.

The ghost(?) snapped as she responded, "I'm here because I was sent here. What are you doing here, Phantom? You and your…_friends_?" There was a distinct sneer as she said the last word.

'_Definitely a ghost,_' Ichigo thought, narrowing his eyes.

"You were _sent _here?" Danny looked and sounded disbelieving. "By who?"

"Whom," Sam corrected seemingly automatically. On cue, Danny and Tucker (and he thought the ghost did, too, but he couldn't be sure) shot her incredulous stares. She looked rather embarrassed as she realized what she'd just said. "Yeah, never mind."

"It's none of your business whom I was sent here by," the ghost said meanly, her body language shifting to become more threatening.

Ichigo took that as his cue to step inside, saying, "Even if it's not his business, I'd say it's _my_ business. Why is a ghost inside my house?"

The ghost whirled around, her greenish eyes widening behind a pair of glasses as she took in Ichigo. Her face promptly morphed into something sickly sweet. Her voice mirrored this. "Who's a ghost, sweetheart?"

"You are," Ichigo said bluntly. "Drop the act; you won't fool me."

"Is this _your_ house?" The ghost was looking his body up and down rather speculatively; it made Ichigo feel vaguely ill.

"Considering that it's the Kurosaki Clinic and that I'm Kurosaki Isshin's son, I'd say so," Ichigo snapped, not letting her predatory gaze get to him. "So tell me, why the hell is a ghost in my house?"

"For the record, I'm here because I was dragged," Danny called, looking bored. Ichigo had to admire his attitude. "As for Spectra, I can't be one hundred percent sure but I think she's here because hospitals brew misery and she just _loves_ to feed on it, don't you, _sweetie_?" His voice was a growl as he said the last bit.

"Stop," Ichigo said before Spectra could say anything else. "If it's a choice between you and him, I'd pick him any day. But since I think my dad will be coming in soon, why don't you and I step out for a talk?"

Spectra narrowed her eyes, opening her mouth to shoot back a no doubt scathing reply.

Before she could do so, though, Isshin walked back through the door, saying, "All right, I've scheduled an X-ray at the nearest hospital. What I'm going to do now is – whoa…" He'd noticed the tension between the room's occupants. "What's going on?"

"Who is she?" Ichigo demanded just as Spectra cried, "Oh, Mr. Kurosaki! This young man is so rude! He claims he's your son!"

Everyone except Isshin gaped at her.

"_Excuse me_?" Ichigo exclaimed. "What—"

"This is my new secretary," Isshin said, beaming as he placed a hand on Spectra's shoulder. "I just hired her yesterday."

"You hired _her_"—Danny sounded like he was choking—"as your _secretary_?"

"_Men_," Ichigo thought he heard Sam sigh disgustedly.

"I didn't even know we needed a secretary!" Ichigo said, eyes darting in-between an oblivious Isshin and a very smug Spectra.

"We didn't," Isshin said, "but what kind of man would I be if I didn't help out a lady in need?" He gave Spectra a gigantic leering grin, thoroughly creeping out all the teenagers.

"I'm guessing you didn't even interview her, did you?" Not bothering to wait for a reply, Ichigo grabbed Spectra by the wrist. "As your son, I'm taking the prerogative to do so."

Before anyone could say anything, he'd dragged Spectra outside, letting her go once they were on the street. Turning around to face her, he started, "You—"

With a loud snarl, Spectra practically _exploded_.

* * *

"Oi, Ichigo!" Isshin called after his son, only to have the door slammed shut behind the teen. His face looked suspiciously sly. "Is Ichigo…going to get it _on_?"

Ignoring the apparently insane father, Danny and friends shot each other nervous glances. They knew exactly how dangerous Spectra could be. The question was, could Ichigo handle her?

The question appeared to be answered a moment later when a loud explosion was heard from outside.

"That is one _rowdy_ interview," Isshin commented lecherously, garnering disbelieving stares from Sam and Tucker.

Danny used the distraction to leap to his feet and bolt to the door, his legs now fully healed. "Okay, I'm good to go, thanks for everything, Mr. Kurosaki!"

Isshin snapped back to a professional mode. "Now wait a minute—"

"I'm fine, see!" Danny interrupted, grinning broadly. He demonstrated his physical prowess by hopping and down. "I was just wobbly from shock! But I'm fine now so I'm gonna go so bye!"

He then abandoned his friends to Isshin.

Sam and Tucker shared a glance and thought, '_We're gonna kill him._'

In the meantime, Danny had transformed immediately once the door was closed. He bolted outside, finding a very human Ichigo bleeding from multitude scratches over his face and arms and desperately trying to dodge Spectra's fierce claws, as she was now in her ghost form.

"Picking on _humans_ now, Spectra?" Danny called, catching her attention. He waved a couple of fingers in her direction. "I thought your mojo was more"—he affected a feminine voice—" 'You know, sweetie, you're not as smart as you thought you were, you know? Because there's always going to be someone smarter than you out there! But no worries, you can be friends with the rest of us dummies!' "

"That sounds like a really lame psychologist act!" Ichigo said, grinning at Danny's little mimicry.

"She was one," Danny said, taking in Spectra's new form. She had a hole directly in the middle of her chest. Around her neck was what seemed to be a necklace made out of bones; her wrists were likewise encircled by bones. "Wow…did you get a makeover or something? I love the fashion accessories."

"You have no idea about," Spectra snarled, "the _pain_ that I went through!"

Thinking about his own accident in the portal, Danny had to disagree. "I think I do," he said quietly.

He glanced at Ichigo, who had used the opportunity to step out into his shinigami form. But he was right now clutching his conked out human form by the shirt and looking like a deer caught in headlights as Spectra turned her red eyes on him again.

"So you're not exactly normal either, are you?" she said in a saccharine voice.

"What told you that? My hair?"

"'Sides, normal's overrated," Danny added, causing Spectra to glance over at him. "Or didn't anyone tell you that being normal is just _boring_?"

"If I leave you two alone, will you blow up the street?" Ichigo asked, looking like he wished to put his very vulnerable human body somewhere safer.

"Why? Do you want to leave us?" Spectra straightened, grinning evilly. "Please don't. The party just won't be the same without you."

"What party?" Danny fired an ecto-beam her way, forcing her to dodge and take flight. He took chase, shouting at Ichigo, "Catch up later and bring that thermos while you're at it!"

"Right!" Ichigo blurred from sight, making Danny blink and remember what he had done earlier.

'_Now is not the time to think about that,_' Danny thought, mentally shaking himself. '_Focus on Spectra. She isn't exactly easy to take care of!_'

Indeed, the shadow ghost was darting throughout the street, zigzagging wildly and making it difficult for Danny to get a lock on her. He didn't particularly want to fire ecto-beams randomly, as that would create a big mess that Ichigo would have to explain later.

But zigzagging became predictable at a certain point, and Danny aimed his ghost ray at the middle of the street a split-second before Spectra came to that point. His attack hit her in the back, throwing her into the street with a pained cry.

"Good shot," Ichigo said, reappearing besides Danny with the thermos in hand. "Need this?" He threw Danny the device.

"I'll give it back afterward," Danny promised, hefting the familiar weight in his hand. "You need it more."

"That thing sucks reiryoku, doesn't it?" Ichigo commented, watching Spectra shake her head and pull herself out of the mess that her crash had created.

Danny blinked at him. "The thermos? It uses some ghost energy to power itself but it doesn't _suck_ energy; you have to feed it. Why? What did it do?"

"It took some of mine when I was sucking in Vortex."

"Oh…well, the thermos isn't really supposed to be used on ghosts when they're at full power," Danny explained, keeping an eye on Spectra. He readied another ecto-beam in his right hand, moving the thermos to his left. "Normally I have to weaken them first, which is why I haven't tried sucking her in yet. Since you sucked Vortex in practically immediately and he was way more powerful than he usually is, the thermos took some more energy from you to compensate for him trying to escape." He eyed the thermos. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried breaking out yet."

"I occasionally hear some swearing," Ichigo offered.

"Yeah, that's about the norm," Danny commented, grinning. He tucked the thermos someplace on his jumpsuit that Ichigo couldn't see.

"Are you two just going to ignore me and chitchat?" Spectra snapped, flying up to their level, which was about five feet off the street.

Danny cocked an eyebrow at her. "From what it looked like, you were having trouble climbing out of the street. I thought we'd do you the courtesy of waiting."

"You _are_ a woman, aren't you?" Ichigo said.

"I AM BEAUTIFUL!" Spectra roared, suddenly slamming herself into a surprised Danny. The ecto-beam he had been holding in his hand fired off harmlessly into the sky.

The ghost teen hurtled along the street, eventually slamming into the concrete as Spectra pushed him down. He blinked, dazed, as the shadow grinned down at him maliciously, a feral gleam in her red eyes.

"Oh, what's this?" she cried gleefully. "Misery for me to feed on?"

"Not quite!" Ichigo appeared behind her, swinging Zangetsu at her head. The zanpakutou phased through her neck, not doing any damage. He blinked, perplexed. "Huh?"

"I'm a _ghost_, you foolish boy!" Spectra cackled.

"So am I," Danny pointed out, recovering his senses. "And I'm gonna say bye." He phased through the street, leaving her clutching empty air.

He phased up through the street by Ichigo, shaking his head to clear it.

"Nifty," Ichigo said, keeping his sword tip at Spectra's throat. Just because it had phased through her once didn't mean it couldn't hit her the next time. Ghosts _were_ solid.

"I think so, too," Danny said. He placed a hand on the hilt of Zangetsu. "Try this." He channeled some power into it, making the blade grow green. "She's literally a shadow, so you're going to need a bit more ghost energy to hit her."

"How sweet," Spectra sneered, ignoring the deadly blade of the zanpakutou. "Two misfits banding together."

Danny rolled his eyes. "_Lame_, Spectra. I've heard it all before and I've gotta say that it gets old."

"I. Am. Not. _Old_," Spectra hissed, her eyes flashing yellow. She opened her mouth, a red beam quickly gathering energy.

"_Kuso_! Cero!" Ichigo swore and grabbed Danny, shunpoing out of the area before the cero annihilated the area they had been standing in only a split-second ago.

When they reappeared on the side, Danny seemed vaguely disoriented at the rapid dislocation. "Okay… What was that?"

"Shunpo," Ichigo said shortly. "You did it yourself earlier."

"So _that's_ what it was? Wait…how did _you_ know I did that? The only one around was that other shinigami!"

"He told me," Ichigo said. "Is this really the time to be having this conversation?"

The two scattered in two separate directions as another cero struck the wall they had been standing before.

"Probably not!" Danny admitted from the other side. "I'll stop!"

"You do that!" Ichigo hollered back.

There was a momentary lull where Spectra appeared to be indecisive over who to go after, before she turned tail and sped away, phasing through a wall as she did.

Ichigo glared at the wall. "_Damn_ it! She's gone!"

"Not for long," Danny said determinedly. He flew over to Ichigo, grabbed him, and said, "Hold on."

"What forrrr – _Danny_!"

Danny had turned both of them intangible and invisible and followed Spectra's trail. "Can you sense her?"

"My sensing abilities are utter crap! What about you?"

"My ghost sense doesn't work like that. It tells me when a ghost shows up but not where it is."

"That's the most useless thing I've heard of!" Ichigo winced and closed his eyes as Danny phased them through a tree before taking them up into the sky for better viewing capabilities. "What about your reiatsu sensing abilities?"

"I can sense some," Danny admitted. "Like right now, I can sense you're giving off this weird sort of energy, and a lot of it, too."

"Yeah, thanks. You're not the first to say I'm pants at controlling my leaking reiatsu."

"You just gave me a horrible mental image," Danny murmured, wincing at the image of Ichigo wetting his pants.

"I don't want to know, Danny, I really don't."

"Probably not," Danny agreed sheepishly.

"All right, since I'm out of the picture of sensing, can't you try? From what I heard from Inoue, you did a good job the other night. You were able to sense their reiatsus without even trying, right?"

"It was easy," Danny muttered, scanning the city but not finding hide or tail of Spectra. "It kind of weighed the air down."

"That's when they're not controlling it and just throwing it around for intimidation," Ichigo said. "This is going to be a little finer than that. I'll admit that I'm a powerhouse and not really good at the whole control aspect; shunpo's about the closest I've gotten. But your powers require a little more finesse, so I think you'll be really good at this. Just try focusing on Spectra; you're really familiar with her so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Can't hurt to try." Danny exhaled slowly and sank into the mental frame of mind he used when making up duplicates, which was still complicated for him. Then, he reached out to the reiatsu that Ichigo was emitting, discarding it from his consciousness after he touched it and reaching out to see what else he could sense.

Familiar signatures that registered as Hitsugaya and Byakuya jumped out at him, as did the Vizards he had met the other night. Urahara and the others in his shop also popped out as bright flames in his mind. Then there were the signatures of Chad and Orihime. But there were two more that seemed very similar to Ichigo's. One was faint, almost as if the person had some but not a lot. The second was just as powerful as Ichigo's, if not more controlled.

But that wasn't what he was looking for. Focusing on the mental image of Spectra in his head, Danny looked for _anything_ that might resemble her.

Then, he found it. It wasn't quite like the other shinigamis' or Ichigo's, which was already slightly different and more similar to the Vizards', but entirely different. For some indefinable reason that escaped Danny, it felt _wrong_.

"I found it," Danny murmured, zooming his focus in on it. "And it's…"—his eyes widened—"_behind_ us?"

He whirled around in midair, still holding Ichigo by the shoulders as he did. He had never dropped his invisibility but then since Spectra was also invisible, she had a general sense of where he was. It was something that Danny had never quite figured out when it came to ghosts and how their rules worked.

The moment Danny completed the turn, he and Ichigo caught one glimpse of a smirking Spectra before the red cero she was firing hit them.

* * *

In the meantime, back on ground level in Karakura Town and in the Kurosaki Clinic, Sam and Tucker had just managed to extricate themselves from Isshin's clutches and were approaching the street.

"Never. Again," Sam announced, eyelid twitching in irritation.

"I didn't know it was possible to get worse than Danny's dad," Tucker confessed, his entire body twitching. "At least he isn't so…lewd."

"I am going to kill Danny for leaving us with him when he gets back," Sam said, convulsively clutching her boyfriend's backpack's strap. She had it slung over her right shoulder.

"Won't you regret that?"

"No. Because I'm going to revive him from the dead and do it _again_." Sam grinned. "I just need to find the book that will let me do it."

"Er…yeah. You're on your own for that." Tucker subtly tapped the PDA in his pocket, hoping Sam wouldn't think of using the Internet.

As the two friends began to look for their other half-ghost friend, they found that they couldn't see hide or tail of Danny, Ichigo, or Spectra. It wasn't too surprising that they couldn't see Ichigo, as he was a shinigami. But ghost fights tended to be very noticeable because of the flashing green lights.

"So…I don't know about you but I have no idea where Danny went," Tucker admitted, scratching his head under his cap.

"Great. Now we'd better hope that no one from Soul Society sees him," Sam said, looking worried.

"At least he has Ichigo with him," Tucker said, trying to seem comforted by this fact.

"There's not much he can do, Tucker. He's gotta stay on their good side and helping Danny out won't do that."

"But if he's with Danny, at least there's _one_ friendly face," Tucker pointed out. "And it's not like he doesn't know how to be subtle. He's been doing this gig for a while now, too, just like Danny."

"Some gig," Sam muttered. "Bowling balls and bulls and invisible spirits that no one can see but that create giant _holes_ in the streets…"

Stopping on the sidewalk, the two sighed once in unison and then looked up at the sky, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of a stray ghost. They did see something, but it wasn't what they had hoped to see.

A red light erupted in the sky a distance away before it flickered out, as if it had been emitted by a beam.

Or a ghost.

Sam clutched Tucker tightly, causing him to wince as she accidentally dug her sharp nails into his arm. "What was that?"

"I don't know! I'm just as clueless as you!" Tucker grabbed her hand, hoping to subtly take her fingernails out of his skin.

Someone sighed behind them, causing both of them to freeze. "Damn that Ichigo. Can't do anything subtly, can he?"

* * *

**Replaced a cliffhanger with a cliffhanger. Sorry about that. But I'll do my best and try and update sooner this time. My spring semester is over in May and I'll have a couple of weeks writing time before I start up with summer school. Ugh...biology...**

**Drop a REVIEW please? I love hearing from you guys! I especially love hearing what you have to say about all the plot twists. :)  
**


	30. The Storm Breaks

**Another update! Yay! Truth be told, I had quite a bit of this chapter written just after spring break, and then I stopped to work on my school. I have just one more final left, and after that I can finish this baby.  
**

**On another note, someone brought up Uryuu. Yeah, er...Ichigo's friends are going to come back into play. Just not in this chapter. Maybe the next.  
**

**Thanks to _Kayla 44, ZXCVBNMEM, Mak8907, kippusan, SpartanCommander, jeanette9a, Riqis Inna Sunja, SneakyDevil, The Quincy Warrior, Talk Bubble,_ and _Athina Dark-Angel of Death_ for reviewing the last chapter!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Danny Phantom_ or _Bleach_.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 30: The Storm Breaks**

* * *

Sasakibe Choujirou was not having a very good day. After a ton of paperwork had finally been completed, he found himself piled with even _more_ after reports of hollows in Soul Society started flooding in. This was a problem, as hollows weren't supposed to _be_ in Soul Society. Worst of all, no one could figure out just how the hollows were getting in.

Choujirou cursed as tea spilt over the rim of the cup and fell on the papers he was reading over and signing. He hadn't even touched it!

Taking a cloth that he had stashed away for purposes such as this, Choujirou mopped up the mess and moved the tea cup over to the side, away from any important documents it could potentially ruin.

He'd just finished cleaning up the minor spill and picked up his brush when the tea cup tipped over the edge of the desk and shattered, spilling tea all over the wooden floor.

"Damn it!" Choujirou slammed his hands on the desk and shoved his chair back as he stood up, glaring furiously. "What the hell is going on here?"

A shinigami poked his head through the door, hearing his superior swear. "Sir?"

"Get me another cup of tea!" Choujirou snapped, dropping his cleaning cloth on the mess.

The shinigami blurted out a "Yes, sir!" before disappearing to take care of it. He could sense that the fukutaichou of the first division was in a very bad mood.

Choujirou glared at the shattered remnants of the tea cup and the spilled remnants of his drink. Then he eyed the mess of reports on desk.

He would give his entire saké supply to bet that the hollows and the reason his tea had spilled went hand in hand.

* * *

The shinigami in Karakura Town were not having the best of days. To start with, they were getting reports that Soul Society was being invaded by hollows. Then they were getting conflicting orders as to whether they should stay in the human realm and look for Fantomu or hightail it back to Soul Society and help there.

Their final orders were to stay in Karakura Town and look for Fantomu. Soul Society had enough shinigami to take care of the hollows there. Fantomu and his kind were decreed a higher threat because of their unknown abilities.

To put the cherry on the cake, they were feeling itchy in a way that meant something horrible was brewing on the horizon. Their spiritual senses were tingling and they could sense that somewhere out there, something was messing with the fabric of reality.

It didn't help that their drinks kept tipping over the edges of the tables whenever they set them down.

"Is there an earthquake that I've forgotten to hear about?" Hitsugaya snapped, glaring at the glass of water he had just saved from an untimely demise.

"It's just our glasses, taichou," Shinobu pointed out, eyeing her own glass speculatively. It was in her hand and thus safe. "If it was an actual earthquake, we would know."

"I don't like it," Soifon muttered, leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom. She had her hands folded over her chest and a frown on her face. "_Somet_hing is going on."

"We have our orders," Byakuya said simply.

"Soul Society can handle the hollows," Hitsugaya said, "but the problem is what is going on_ here_. Something feels strange and has felt strange for the past couple days."

"But the question is _what_," Soifon growled, pushing herself off the doorframe and stalking over to the window to peer outside through the blinds. "I don't like this. We haven't seen or heard anything from Fantomu or his ilk and the impossible is happening."

"It's never been considered impossible for hollows to come into Soul Society," Hitsugaya pointed out. "We don't have anything to keep them out."

"Taichou, I thought they didn't _like_ to come?" Shinobu asked. "The entire place is crawling with shinigami!"

"That's what makes it so strange," Soifon said, snapping the blinds open with a frustrated yank on the cord. "Why are they coming now?"

"Aizen is making his move," Hitsugaya stated, eyes narrowing. "First the ghost/hollow hybrid we fought earlier and now this."

"Damn the bastard!" Soifon's bark didn't surprise the other shinigami.

Her shout seemed to have set off some sort of signal, as all the shinigami's alerts went off simultaneously. They checked them and looked at each other.

"Ghost or hollow?" Hitsugaya asked, flipping his phone closed.

"I would say both," Byakuya said, taking his gikongan out and popping it into his mouth. His spirit stepped out and the gigai walked hastily into the bedroom. He continued, "The readings are the same as for the other ghost/hollow, but slightly weaker in comparison."

"Does that mean it isn't as strong?" Shinobu had also employed her gikongan and stepped out.

Chappy was right now eyeing Hitsugaya lasciviously and the young taichou hastily stepped out of his gigai. It fled the scene to jump into the bathroom with Byakuya's gigai, locking the door behind him as Shinobu's gigai attempted to follow and found itself blocked by the door.

Noting that there would soon be some sort of orgy going on, the shinigami hightailed it out of the apartment they had been renting to take refuge in the sky.

Soifon had her phone out and was tracking the hollow (or ghost) it had sensed. "Judging from the readings, it probably is the same type as the other hybrid we fought earlier. But it's weaker."

"Where is it, Soifon-taichou?" Shinobu asked.

Not answering the question directly, Soifon began leading them through the skies, following the map on her phone as she did.

Eventually she came to a stop, the others crowding behind her. She looked up, her eyes scanning the area. "It should be right here."

Hitsugaya and Byakuya automatically drew their zanpakutou.

"Invisible?" Hitsugaya suggested, his aquamarine eyes also scanning the surroundings.

"Perhaps," Soifon said, drawing her own weapon while still holding the phone up.

A sudden laugh made them all stiffen. "Oh dearie me… There is no 'perhaps' about it." The being they were looking for flickered into view before them, smirking. It was a black shadow with red eyes and a hole in its chest. Its neck and wrists were adorned with bones.

"Not as big as the other," Hitsugaya commented offhandedly.

The ghost/hollow's eyes narrowed. "Would you happen to mean Vortex, child?"

A tick mark appeared on Hitsugaya's head. "I am not a child!"

"You're about four feet tall and look like a boy." The shadow smirked. "You're a child."

"Who are you?" Soifon demanded.

Laughing, the shadow clapped its hands together. "How rude of me. I am Penelope Spectra. Such a _pleasure_ to make your acquaintance. Phantom and the other halfa were interesting enough but my real target was you."

Soifon narrowed her eyes. "You've seen Fantomu?"

"_Seen_ him? How about kissed him and his orange-haired friend goodbye!" Penelope cackled gleefully. "Their looks of surprise were _such_ a delight! It almost makes up for not eating their misery. _Almost_."

"Do you mean Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya demanded.

Penelope smirked, eyes glinting yellow. "I didn't bother to ask. I was too busy saying goodbye."

"They're dead?"

Penelope shrugged. "Might as well be for all I know. The place they were sent to isn't very _welcoming_ if you get my drift." She cocked her head to the side, eyes a solid yellow now. "But that was just a warm up. _You're_ the main course."

"Jinteki Syakusetsu, Suzumebachi!" Soifon's zanpakutou morphed into its shikai form. "I don't _think_ so, Penelope."

"Ooh, on a first-name basis, are we?" Penelope grinned, eyes flicking over the shinigami. "I can't say I caught yours. Then again, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"I'd say not," Hitsugaya confirmed. "Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru."

"Chire, Senbonzakura."

"Oh, cute, flower petals." Penelope straightened, her black shadowy tail sweeping from side to side. "A ring, flowers, and a boy touting a sword. This shouldn't be very difficult."

Before any of the shinigami could respond to the blatant insults, Penelope had disappeared from sight.

"We can sense you," Soifon snapped, eyes flickering uselessly over the empty space, "so your invisibility doesn't do you much good."

"So what if you can?" Penelope's voice echoed around them. "It doesn't mean you can dodge _this_!"

Only scant seconds after she had made this proclamation did the shinigami find themselves enveloped in the red light of a cero.

* * *

_Someone sighed behind them, causing both of them to freeze. "Damn that Ichigo. Can't do anything subtly, can he?"_

Sam and Tucker silently counted to three in their heads before turning around to see who had snuck up on them. They blinked, perplexed, upon seeing Kurosaki Isshin standing there, scratching his scruffy beard and looking up at the sky in irritation.

"I mean, you'd think that with most of the populace being unable to see him that he'd at least be a bit more careful, you know?" Isshin continued, oblivious to the wide-eyed blinking of the two teenagers. "It's not like it's easy explaining away giant potholes in the street that weren't there a second earlier."

"You—" Tucker started.

"Mr. Kurosaki!" Sam squeaked. This garnered her a concerned look from Tucker and she cleared her throat to try again. "What – what do you mean?"

Isshin finally looked down from the sky to meet the eyes of the two teenagers. "Ah, there's no need to try and make any excuses. I know all about Ichigo's extracurricular activities. And about the new spirits in town."

"They're ghosts, sir," Tucker corrected politely. "We can actually see them."

"Tucker!" Sam hissed, jabbing her elbow into her friend's side, who winced and rubbed his side in pain. "I'm sorry," she told Isshin, "he doesn't know what he's saying—"

"I know that the two of you are friends with Fantomu," Isshin interrupted.

Sam and Tucker automatically took a step back.

"Ayeh, don't look at me like that!" Isshin exclaimed in despair. "I heard it from Kisuke!"

"How do you know about Ichigo?" Sam asked suspiciously. "He would have told us if his dad was a shinigami!"

"Ah, well…" Isshin grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "See, about that, he doesn't know. So I'd appreciate it if you could keep it—"

"Something just happened to your son and you're asking us to keep your status as a shinigami a _secret_?" Sam demanded. "What the heck is wrong with your priorities?"

"He'll find out eventually," Isshin admitted. "But that's on my own terms or in a life and death situation. In any case, Ichigo is good enough to take care of himself." He cupped his chin, scratching his cheek idly with a thumb. "I wonder about that cero…"

"That was a cero?" Tucker asked, eyebrows raised. "You mean like what hollows use?"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Sam protested. "They were fighting Spectra and she's a _ghost_!"

"I heard of a ghost/hollow hybrid calling himself Vortex"—Sam and Tucker started, not having heard this from Danny—"and I see you two know him."

"A ghost who controls the weather," Sam said, sounding rather lost. "But…you're saying that Spectra is a _hybrid_ between a ghost and a hollow? Who _does_ that?"

"Aizen." Isshin's voice was grim. "He might not have done it himself but he certainly authorized the research." He frowned at the two. "Who's Spectra?"

"Your secretary," Tucker said, unable to repress a smirk.

Isshin gaped dramatically. "_No_!"

"Yes," Sam continued cruelly. "You were duped by the womanly charms of Penelope Spectra. And let me tell you, she's not actually a woman. She's a ghost who looks like a shadow."

Tucker showed a devastated Isshin a photograph of Spectra on his PDA. "That's how she _really_ looks."

"But – but she was so _beautiful_!" Isshin wailed, collapsing to his knees on the sidewalk.

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other, identical expressions of horror plastered all over their faces.

Oh yes… Kurosaki Isshin was _much_ worse than Jack Fenton.

* * *

When the red light of the cero that had hit them dissipated, Danny and Ichigo were immensely surprised to find themselves not flying in the sky above Karakura Town, but rather standing in a very dimly lit room with huge glass tanks around them. The glass tanks were filled with some sort of liquid, which was palely translucent at the moment but seemed thick.

"What just happened?" Ichigo whispered, a bad feeling crawling up his spine. "Being hit by a cero doesn't mean being transported to a weird sort of room. It usually involves a lot of pain."

Danny was about to reply, but was cut off when his ghost sense went off, an icy cold feeling choking his lungs and sending white mist into the air. He'd only seen that once before: when the Arrancar had shown up.

"That normal?" Ichigo asked, frowning.

"No," Danny said, coughing once to clear his lungs of the rest. "It means there's an Arrancar nearby. We should keep quiet."

"Brilliant," Ichigo muttered. "First we're dumped here by something shouldn't be possible—"

"Luckily for you," Danny interrupted, keeping his voice low and inspecting his surroundings semi-calmly with the ease of long practice with strange situations, "I've experienced something like this before. I was hit by a cero from this weird ghost before I landed in Karakura Town. It hurt, but it wasn't really painful."

"I suppose the how doesn't matter, it's the _where_ that's worrying me," Ichigo said, tapping the glass of a tank right next to him. "What is this stuff?"

"It looks like a lab of sorts," Danny said, not exactly comfortable with going so close to the tanks. "So…if I had to guess…I'd say that's some sort of preserver. Or something…"

"Or something," Ichigo echoed, following Danny as the half-ghost walked through the rows of glass tanks. "Why so many?"

Danny saw a patch of green on the ground besides one of the tanks and swallowed reflexively, feeling ill. It could be nothing… "Experimentation, maybe?"

The two of them exited the row of tanks, finding themselves in a rather open area that was completely empty.

There was puddle of green sludge a small distance from the two, though this one was steaming and bubbling slightly.

"That—" Danny started, only to be cut off by clapping.

The two whirled around, trying to see who was doing the noise. Their hearts sunk as they saw the pink-haired man in a white uniform smirking at them. He wore bony white glasses that framed his yellowish eyes.

"Oh, how _marvelous_," the man said, his clapping dying down. "How simply _marvelous_. Two hybrids…both originals… We _are_ going to have such fun, aren't we?"

"_Two_ hybrids?" Ichigo asked, shifting one foot back. His arm twitched in the direction of Zangetsu, though he didn't grab it. "What are you on about?"

"Szayel Apporo Granz, Octava Espada," the Arrancar introduced himself, a snakelike grin on his face. "And you are Kurosaki Ichigo and the young half-ghost known as Fantomu. Both of you extraordinary marvels of nature…"

"Danny I get," Ichigo said, "but what are you on about? I'm just a shinigami."

"Not just _any_ shinigami, Kurosaki," Szayel corrected. "You are a human and a shinigami at once… A perfect specimen of both worlds."

"You're another Dr. Jekyll, aren't you?" Danny said, narrowing his eyes at the mad scientist. "You talk like a scientist, but you remind me of Skulker. Since I can't really see Dr. Jekyll doing much hunting, I'm guessing you do quite a lot of the dirty work yourself."

"Fascinating," Szayel breathed, blinking as he inspected Danny as if he was already under a microscope. "He reasons so well."

Danny's eyebrows flew up into his white hair. "Okay… You're gonna start hunting us down now, aren't you?"

"Do be my guest," Szayel said, grinning widely as he spread his arms. "I'm completely open."

Taking the initiative, Danny tried to fire an ecto-ball at him, only to have nothing come out when he flung his hand across his body. "What?"

Szayel broke into hysterical laughter as Danny frantically tried anything else he could come up with. "I've become intimately familiar with your kind, Fantomu," he announced when he had sobered slightly. "Your ecto-attacks, intangibility, invisibility, and flight are all _useless_ here as they have been effectively neutralized. You cannot fight me."

Danny's hands curled into fists as he glared at Szayel. "Are you telling me that you've experimented on _ghosts_? Are you the reason that Spectra is flying around looking like a hollow?"

"One of my best works, if I do say so myself," Szayel said, smirking proudly. "Isn't she absolutely _marvelous_?"

"Marvelous is one word I wouldn't use for it," Danny said disgustedly.

"Oh but it _is_," Szayel insisted, eyes gleaming fanatically. "And you will be the crowning jewel."

Unthinkingly, Danny took a step back.

In turn, Ichigo stepped in front of the halfa, taking out Zangetsu as he did. "Danny, run. If you can't use any of your powers here, I'll handle this guy. He hasn't yet gotten any info on me."

"What? No!" Danny put a hand on Ichigo's wrist, stopping him from attacking the Arrancar. "I'm not letting you do this alone!"

"You're not going to be any help," Ichigo snapped, shaking his wrist free from Danny's light grip. "If you can't attack him or sneak up on him, you're just going to slow me down."

Danny's eyes went from Ichigo to Szayel, narrowing dangerously as his mind flew over different options rapidly. "You say you've studied my kind intimately? By that do you mean ghosts or half-ghosts? Or humans? Because you've got three to pick from. Going from availability and what I've seen here, you just studied ghosts." He grinned, eyes flashing. "And let me tell you, the ghosts in the Ghost Zone aren't anywhere_ near_ the standard half-ghosts are."

Szayel wasn't grinning now. "Your point being?"

"My point being that while you've neutralized the basic ghost powers," Danny snapped angrily, "you haven't dealt with the _unusual_!" Glowing green, he split himself into three, giving the other two Dannys a nod before grabbing a stunned Ichigo by the wrist and pulling him back into the maze of tanks without any further problem.

In the meantime, the duplicates barged toward Szayel, intending on buying the original and Ichigo some time.

Danny pulled Ichigo deeper into the maze of tanks, taking as many turns as he could before the shinigami abruptly stopped. He could have continued pulling Ichigo along even with resistance but out of courtesy he stopped as well.

"Can you tone down that glow of yours?" Ichigo demanded, crouching down under the glass level of the tank, using the metal base as a hiding place. "It's a dead giveaway."

"This is as low as it goes," Danny hissed, crouching down as well. Although significantly dimmed and not as bright as it had been before, when it was allowing Ichigo to use it as a weird sort of flashlight, it was still bright enough to alert any predatory Arrancar to their hiding place. "And if I turn back into a human, I can't keep the duplicates up."

"All right, all right," Ichigo muttered edgily, not liking the situation they were in one bit. "What do we do now?"

"I can't do anything," Danny said, holding out a hand in-between them. He was trying to turn invisible or intangible and nothing was happening. "I tried flying earlier but nothing happened. The only thing I still have is my strength." He demonstrated by pressing his fingers into the metal base of the tank. When he pulled away, there were indents from where his fingers had pressed in. "So I guess I can still fight, but just with fists."

"He's got a sword," Ichigo disagreed. "He'll cut you into pieces before you can even get close."

"I'm not that slow," Danny said disgruntedly. "But you're probably right… I don't know what he's done to my healing ability."

"I know you don't like it, but I'm the only one right now who's a match for this guy," Ichigo said quickly. "I've got shikai and I've also got my bankai. I don't have any special abilities outside of my _getsuga tenshou_, and I can't really use that in here because it causes too much damage. So I'd really just be sticking with my zanpakutou. I'll try to defeat him before he can release himself."

"You mean turn into something that doesn't look human?"

"Put like that, yes."

"What am _I_ supposed to do then?" Danny whispered furiously. He flinched as he heard one of his duplicates scream in pain. They were running out of time.

Ichigo realized this, too. "Find a way out of here!"

"I've got really good eyesight, Ichigo, and from what I can see, there _isn't_ a way out of here. Szayel was experimenting on ghosts and he can't have neutralized their abilities from the beginning. If none of them escaped, I can guarantee you that there's no exit."

Ichigo's mind was racing at light speed and he remembered something he had seen both shinigami and hollows do. "Can you make a portal or something?"

Danny furrowed his brow. "A _portal_? Ichigo, I know I'm an unknown entity to you, but I think you're overestimating just what I can do."

"You did shunpo earlier and that's something shinigami do!" Ichigo pointed out. "You can do it again if you focus on it again. Like you told me, let instinct do the work until you get the hang of it. But shunpo isn't the whole thing; I've seen shinigami open portals to Soul Society. Hollows have the same ability."

"So you're guessing that because shinigami and hollows have this ability and since I did shunpo, that I can open a portal? To _where_? And _how_? If shinigami can do this, can't you?" Danny demanded.

"No, I don't," Ichigo admitted. "I never learned how. My training focused solely on the combat side of shinigami life. Even there I don't know kidou because my control is so bad. But, _Danny_"—he gripped Danny's shoulder with his left hand—"from what I've heard, there aren't many half-ghosts and you're not friends with the full ghosts. That means you've learned everything on your own, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"That means you can _do_ this," Ichigo interrupted, eyes darting up as he heard another scream from Danny's duplicates. He had to hurry. "Follow your instincts. I'll buy you time until you can figure it out."

"Even if I _do_ manage to make a portal, where should it open?"

"At the moment? Anywhere's fine." Ichigo stood up, giving a wide-eyed Danny a good luck nod. "Okay, see you in a bit."

He left, leaving Danny by himself next to the tank. He had his eyes squeezed shut, trying to figure out just _how_ he was going to do something he had never even considered.

'_Come on, Fenton… Ichigo believes in you; shinigami do this without a problem…_' Danny took slow and careful breaths, focusing inward. '**_He_**_ could open portals into the Ghost Zone without a problem. And he's you, so that means **you** can do it, too._'

Inhaling deeply one last time, Danny stood up, mind focused on the task. He put out his hands in front of him, almost as if he was pressing fingers against glass. '_Focus… **Focus**…_'

In the meantime, Ichigo had taken a shortcut through the glass tanks to approach Szayel again. He came up behind two completely beaten up duplicates which were bleeding green ectoplasm all over the place. One had a stab wound directly through his stomach that had pierced through his body to exit next to the right side of his spine.

Thinking about Danny's comment on his healing ability, Ichigo was glad that the ghost teen had decided to listen to him. He would have been mincemeat in no time.

As Ichigo arrived, the two duplicates evaporated into green smoke. He hoped that this meant Danny was focusing on creating a portal.

"The half-ghost was amusing," Szayel said, flicking some ectoplasm off his blade, "but fighting two of him is only so entertaining while the novelty lasts. I hope you shall provide better entertainment."

"I'd say that I live to serve, but I don't so that'd be a lie," Ichigo said, his brown eyes glowing a light blue as he focused his reiryoku into reiatsu. "But let's see if I can't _entertain_ you some."

Szayel grinned just as Ichigo shunpoed out of sight, reappearing behind the Arrancar. His zanpakutou swept down in a sharp cutting maneuver, only to be stopped short in a clang of steel as Szayel's came up to stop it.

Pulling Zangetsu away, Ichigo changed his attack so it came up from the bottom. It was again blocked.

The two continued parrying blows for a couple more minutes, the force with which they collided increasing with each attack. Eventually, Ichigo's guard dropped slightly and Szayel seized the opportunity to throw him backward into a glass tank, shattering the glass and falling into the liquid inside it.

Spluttering, Ichigo was about to get to his feet and jump into the fight again when the glowing figure of Danny stepped into view. "Danny? What are you _doing_?"

Danny didn't respond. His face was closed down and his lips pinched, though his eyes were glowing fiercely. The muted glow he had been giving off when Ichigo had left had increased to being slightly brighter than usual, making Ichigo's eyes hurt to look at Danny's snow white hair.

"Hmm." Szayel sounded somewhat intrigued as he looked at Danny speculatively. "What have we here?"

"You sick_ bastard_." Danny's voice was low and growling. "What did you _do_ to them?"

Szayel raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean the ghosts? They were my experimental subjects."

"So you experimented on them," Danny snapped. Ichigo had never seen him so angry before; his glow was flickering with his rage. "Did you even think about keeping them _alive_ while at it?"

"Why should I have?" Szayel's tone was bored. "They were just subjects, curiosities I was experimenting with. Some were failures while others were successes. Why should I worry about one or two casualties?"

Danny's response was seething with tightly coiled fury. "Because they're _sentient_. They have _lives_. You can't just – you can't just experiment on beings like they don't matter! If I'd done that to _you_, how would you have felt? Having your body ripped apart and put together into something that you'd never wanted, _how_ _would you have felt_?" The way he hissed the last few words told everyone that if Szayel didn't answer appropriately, there would be hell to pay.

Szayel didn't seem to care, as his face broke into an insane grin. "I would be _delighted_. The experiments I could run! The _possibilities_! I would thank the person…right before I killed him, of course."

"You…you're sick." Danny's glow flared brightly, blinding Ichigo, before it dulled, the ghost teen visibly trying to control himself. "You think you've got everything all figured out, don't you? You experimented on my kind – you experimented on _ghosts I know_ – and you don't even care what you did! You think that you've figured out what we're – what _I'm_ capable of."

"Haven't I?" Szayel's sword trailed along the ground as he began to approach Danny, who was subtly vibrating with fury. "You're nothing special, Fantomu. Your clone is proof of that."

Danny stiffened. When he spoke again, his voice was very low. "My _clone_?"

"A little girl dressed exactly like you," Szayel said dismissively. "Quite amusing, really. But you see, a clone is only as good as the original. As pitiful as she was"—he raised a superior eyebrow—"you can't be much better."

"_Dani Phantom_," Danny snarled, eyes flaring green, "is a better person than you will ever be. And if you've done _anything_ to her, you will _regret_ it."

"Do enlighten me as to how you're planning on fulfilling that promise," Szayel said, looking down at the furious half-ghost, "considering as how you can't use any of your abilities. You revealed your ace in your hat when you duplicated yourself. I've already made accommodations for that, as you'll soon find."

Ichigo was about to step forward to help when Danny grinned fiercely, putting both spirits on guard. "You think that was my _ace_? Oh, Szayel Aporro Granz, I haven't even _started_. You experimented on regular ghosts. You met my cousin, and apparently failed to catch her since you're not bragging about it, and you haven't even begun to see what a _half_-ghost can do. And let me tell you, it isn't anywhere close to what you're thinking.

"Half a ghost? What can _half_ a ghost do compared to a full ghost?" Danny smirked, clapping his hands together once. His eyes glowed an icy blue and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees. "Allow me to show you."

Before either spirit could move, Danny had unleashed a wave of ice. He swung around in midair, his feet following up as a stream of blue ejected from his boots. Landing on his feet, Danny fired a multitude of sharp icicles at Szayel, who had dodged the waves of ice with furious bursts of sonido.

They were all deflected with a blink by a smirking Szayel who didn't even move, simply using his reiatsu to do so. They pierced the wall behind him, jutting out in deadly spikes. "How absolutely marvelous. _Ice_ powers? Unfortunately, you're rather weak compared to my reiatsu. Don't think you can compare."

Danny smirked, eyes still glowing that unearthly icy blue. "You think that was everything? Oh _no_…"

This time Ichigo had to step back slightly as the air seemed to practically freeze around the half-ghost. Danny had his hands around a rapidly forming glowing ball of blue, which Ichigo could tell would pack a mean punch of ice. With a yell, Danny opened his palms, releasing the powerful attack.

The beam of pure ice hit Szayel dead on, freezing him in a block of solid frozen water. Danny panted heavily, his face set in a mask of cold fury. His eyes were fading back to that familiar electrical green.

"Okay, Danny, I think I can take it from here," Ichigo said, chancing a step closer to his friend, feeling the air chill his skin as he approached.

"Step back and cover your ears." Danny's tone was low.

Ichigo frowned, perplexed. "What?"

"Cover your ears!" Then Danny took a deep breath and – there wasn't another word for it – _wailed_.

Yet it wasn't just a wail. As crappy as his sensing was, Ichigo could _feel_ the energy pouring off the wail, which sounded like hundreds of ghosts moaning. The ground was cracking under the force of it and even the tanks, which were _behind_ Danny, were shaking violently. Fine lines were slicing through the glass and one tank directly behind them literally exploded from the pressure.

The energy from the wail hit the frozen Szayel head on and as he was only seven feet away, the effect was devastating. The ice blew apart from the force and the Arrancar hurtled backwards against the wall, striking it with force and a pained grunt that could only be seen and not heard.

The moment the Arrancar hit the wall, Danny cut the attack, breathing heavily from the power he had just released. His eyes widened as he took in what he had just done. "Oh God… Oh _God_…" He closed his eyes and turned, hiding his face in his hands.

Ichigo passed by Danny, who was shaking not in rage now but in revulsion. He approached Szayel, who had been impaled on three of the icicles that he had deflected earlier. One had pierced his chest directly in the area where the heart would usually be (Ichigo wasn't sure if the biology was the same for Arrancar as for humans); another was sticking through his right shoulder; the third had impaled the bottom of his neck.

Though Szayel was still alive at the moment, Ichigo could tell that he was rapidly dying. The power of the wail packed with the deadly positions of the icicles had done him in.

"Well," Ichigo said quietly, "I suppose you didn't know everything after all."

Szayel's eyes were gleaming faintly as he took in the figure of Danny. "Marvelous…specimen…isn't he?" he breathed, his voice strained with pain.

"He's no specimen," Ichigo said shortly, disgusted with the Arrancar. "He's Danny, one of my friends."

Szayel met Ichigo's eyes, grinning faintly. "You know…" he whispered faintly, "…you'll never…escape…from…here…" The last word was a breathless exhale as Szayel died, his entire body going limp on the icicles that were still holding him to the wall.

Making sure that the Arrancar was indeed dead, Ichigo turned to walk over to Danny who was retching and kneeling on the ground, having already thrown up what was in his stomach.

He crouched down behind him, placing a gentle hand on Danny's back. "You okay?"

"No," Danny said hoarsely. He shakily got to his feet, stumbled slightly, and managed to collapse with his back against the metal base of a broken metal tank. "No, I'm not." His breath coming in fast jerky pants, he buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking as he heaved with silent sobs.

Ichigo watched Danny for a moment, hesitating slightly before he got up again and sat down next to him. He sighed lowly, wondering if he should ask.

What could it hurt? Besides, he wasn't Kurosaki Ichigo for nothing.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, not looking at Danny. The teen deserved that much at least after what he'd just done. "You weren't like this before."

"Like what?" Danny laughed hollowly, dropping his hands to look straight ahead, his cheeks smudged with tears. "A murderer?"

"Angry. Furious. Whatever that was. You weren't like that."

Danny exhaled shakily, breath hitching. "Back there… In that tank we were hiding by…" He shook his head, seemingly unable to go into the details.

Silently, Ichigo stood, leaving Zangetsu standing as a silent guard by Danny as he went to see what the half-ghost teen was talking about. It took him a few moments to find the tank and when he looked inside, he quickly wished that he hadn't.

Just about the only recognizable feature of the ghost was her face, though that only partly remained. The rest of her body had largely decomposed into green goop, though he could see a hand lying in the middle and the remnants of what must have been a leg. The skin on her face was a pale blue and her eyes were darkly outlined. The bottom half of her face had partly decomposed into green ectoplasm, though there were still signs of her teeth and jawbone. Everything above her eyes had also decomposed, leaving no hints as to her hair color.

Ichigo had no idea who she was but he knew Danny must have known her, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so strongly. Feeling sick just at the thought of what must have been done to her to result in such a state, Ichigo could understand why Danny had reacted the way he had.

When he got back to Danny, the ghost teen had stopped sobbing in favor of just staring ahead blankly. He didn't seem to give any sign of registering Ichigo's presence, though he began speaking.

"Her name was Ember," he said. Ichigo sat down beside him as he continued in a montone voice, "She wasn't a friend. Heck, we were enemies. But she was a ghost I knew and who I had allied with one time. She had a sense of humor I could appreciate…sometimes." Danny chuckled hollowly. "Her boyfriend was Skulker, did you know? I don't know what I can tell him."

"I didn't know ghosts had relationships like that," Ichigo said bluntly.

The crass statement shocked Danny into a short burst of laughter, though he quickly sobered. "Neither did I," he said. "Ghosts can be violently emotional. They're either at one extreme end of the spectrum or another and sometimes in-between, and that's when you can just talk with them. I've only met a few that aren't like that and they're friends of mine."

He shook his head, rubbing his face. "When I saw her lying like that, I just…snapped. Ghosts…we don't go down easily. We're incredibly resilient, like you spirits. So for Ember to look like _that_…he must have done something really bad. She wasn't exactly a piece of cake to deal with."

"And yet you didn't mean to kill him," Ichigo said slowly. "You just wanted to give him a piece of his own medicine."

Danny smiled weakly. "I could never experiment on him. I was just…so _angry_ that I couldn't think of anything other than making him hurt. I didn't mean to kill him. I don't…I don't _do_ that. And now that I have…what do I do now? I can't… How do I trust _myself_ anymore?"

He fell silent then, exhaling loudly and raising a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. This eventually shifted to covering his forehead.

All the while, Ichigo was quiet, thinking about his own experiences. He hadn't killed yet, but that didn't mean he never would. He'd gotten rid of hollows but that was purifying, not killing, and what Danny had done was kill an Arrancar with no guarantee that he would be purified. When would Ichigo have to do the same?

"In my line of work," Ichigo started slowly, catching Danny's attention, "I've had to fight a lot of people. I wasn't always a substitute shinigami."

Danny had dropped his hand to his knee now, gazing at Ichigo silently.

"I got my powers when Rukia saved my family from a hollow. I was stupid and she got injured as a result. She gave me her power so I could save them. From then on I learned what it was to be a shinigami and to protect other people. I ended up doing things I didn't like but I did them anyway because it was the right thing to do. When Rukia was taken in by Soul Society for giving me her power – which was illegal – I went in after her with my friends. She wasn't going to die on _my_ watch for saving my family and giving me the strength to protect others."

He paused, remembering the fights he'd had to go through to get to Rukia. "I fought a lot of shinigami when I got into Soul Society. I was almost killed by Kenpachi and I almost killed him, too. I was _aiming_ to kill him, as that was the only way I would've even had a chance to survive. But through all that, I've never actually killed someone. I've gotten close to it and I've gotten close to dying myself, but I've never actually killed. And while I hope I never have to do so, I know it's an unrealistic expectation in my line of work. I'm going to have to kill someone someday.

"But it won't be because I _want_ to do it. It'll be because I'm either defending myself or protecting my loved ones." Ichigo's voice was resolute. "And if I do kill someone because of that, I won't regret it much because I'll know that I'll have done everything possible to make sure that the ones I love are still alive and safe."

His brown eyes met Danny's green ones. "So, Danny, don't _ever_ regret killing someone who's threatening you if there's no choice. If it came down to saving that person's life or risking the lives of your loved ones, what would you pick?"

"My loved ones," Danny whispered, not even thinking about it. "But…he wasn't—"

"Maybe not now but eventually," Ichigo cut him off. "You heard him. He already went after your cousin"—Danny smiled at the term he'd used for his clone—"and didn't think twice about it. He experimented on your ghost friends and didn't regret it. I'd say you were protecting your loved ones from further harm."

Danny swallowed, tilting his head forward. "That doesn't change the fact that…I've never…" He exhaled shakily. "I've never killed someone before."

"Neither have I." Ichigo pushed himself to his feet and put Zangetsu on his back. "But when the day comes that I eventually have to do so, I'll make sure it's for the right reasons. Trust me, Danny, it might have been an accident that Szayel died but it isn't something you should worry about. The fact that you care shows that you won't kill lightly; you'll look for a way out. That means that if you do end up killing again, think about the fact that it meant you had no choice and that the guy was a really, _really_ bad jerk and deserved it."

Danny managed a smile at the joke and took Ichigo's offered hand, pulling himself to his feet. "Thanks, Ichigo."

"It's no problem." Ichigo smiled at him, the expession strange on his face. "You'd do the same for me."

"I would," Danny promised.

Uncomfortable with the overall feeling of the conversation he'd just had (which was getting into very girly territory now), Ichigo changed the subject. "Now about that portal? Szayel said there wasn't a way out, but I'd disagree."

Danny made a face. "Hold onto that thought for a moment."

Ichigo waved a hand. "Take your time."

Taking a deep breath, Danny pushed all thoughts of his recent kill out of his mind and focused on the task of making a portal. He didn't focus on his ghost powers, instead concentrating on the reiryoku he could feel around him. The reiatsu of Ichigo was a constant presence next to him that he ignored, pushing it out of the way. Then he focused on the atmosphere around him, trying to find a way to open the space he was in and enter another.

'_Picture a door,_' he thought, frowning as the image popped into his head. '_Okay…now try to open it…_'

He pictured twisting the door knob and opening it but felt no change around him. Sighing mentally at the fact that just _picturing_ the thing wouldn't work, Danny pushed energy to his fingertips, holding it there as he did.

He raised his hand to the empty air, trying to remember just what exactly _he_ had done when opening the portal before chucking him into the Ghost Zone all trussed up like a chicken. The movement had swiped down, hadn't it?

Straining all his senses, Danny pushed his energy into the reiryoku in the air and pulled down, picturing himself ripping open the air and into another place.

The sound of a sharp inhale from Ichigo told him that he'd succeeded. Opening his eyes, Danny couldn't help but grin triumphantly as he looked out into what appeared to be a desert at nighttime.

"Go through!" Danny told Ichigo. "I'm not sure how long I can hold this thing for."

Ichigo hopped through the portal and Danny followed soon after, finding that the portal closed after him almost immediately.

"I didn't expect that to actually _work_," Ichigo commented, staring at Danny with a new appreciation on his face.

Danny narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. "Are you telling me that you told me to make a portal _without_ thinking I could do it?"

"Not _exactly_," Ichigo hedged nervously, shrugging slightly. "I _suspected_ you could pull something like that off."

"Luckily for you," Danny said dryly, "I had concrete proof of me having the ability to open portals."

"You said you didn't know how to!"

"I didn't. I just had future knowledge." Danny gave an enigmatic smile as Ichigo glared at him in confusion. "So, now that we're out of there, what's next?"

Letting the perplexing subject drop, Ichigo made a slow circle to take into his surroundings. "I have never been here before," he admitted.

"Great. Neither have I!" Danny lit up a small green ray on his index finger, brightening as it succeeded. "Awesome! My powers are back!" He floated a foot into the air, turning a transparent bluish-white as he did. A second later he vanished for an instant before reappearing, grinning. "Sweet!"

"That's great." Ichigo pointed to what seemed like a massive building in the distance. "While you're at it, take a look at that."

Danny squinted, trying to get a better view of the construction. "I can't be too sure at this distance but it looks like a really big wall. And…there's something inside it. If I had to guess, it's a wall surrounding a fortress." He took to the air for a few moments to get an unobstructed glimpse before coming back down. "Judging from the size of that thing, it's a long way off."

"Then let's get started," Ichigo said, taking a step in that direction.

"I'll fly us," Danny offered, hovering by him. "My top speed is two-twenty miles per hour."

"No crazy stunts?"

"Promise." Danny made the Boy Scout sign, which didn't really convince Ichigo. Seeing that, he added, "There're no ghosts around or anyone else I have to evade. It'll just be smooth flying."

"Okay. Have at it."

Danny swooped down, picking Ichigo up like a princess and taking off.

"Oy, _Danny_! I refuse to be carried like this!" Ichigo squirmed and kicked, forcing Danny to shift his grip so the shinigami wouldn't fall.

Ichigo managed to loop an arm around the half-ghost's neck and swing himself onto Danny's back. The sudden weight shift caused Danny to drop an inch in the air before he adjusted and simply hovered there.

"Comfy?" Danny asked sarcastically.

"Very," Ichigo shot back. "Now keep going. And keep your hands away from my ass."

"As if I'd be interested in that," Danny muttered, taking flight once more toward the building.

Ichigo considered taking offense to that before letting it drop. Some things just didn't need to be mentioned.

Besides, this was gay enough as it was.

* * *

"Here you go." There was a loud thud as Skulker deposited his burden in front of an expectant shopkeeper. "I hope you realize that I'm not getting paid for this."

"You'll get to go home," Urahara pointed out, moving to inspect the hollow, which was out cold in a net that was glowing a faint blue.

"Do you know how many weapons I've wasted on these things?"

"Oh, that." Urahara waved a dismissive hand. "There are supplies to deal with them."

Skulker's eyebrow twitched. "And you did not tell me this earlier _why_?"

"You never asked."

Steaming, Skulker grumbled as he followed Urahara down into the impossibly large space that was located just below the candy store. The hollow was deposited in a dump next to a cage filled with several others. Counting the others Skulker had snagged, this made six.

"How many more will you need?" Skulker demanded.

"Building a gate to traverse the dimensions takes time," Urahara said chidingly. He gestured to two tall pillars on the other side. "Especially if we're dealing with dimensions that don't parallel each other." He frowned slightly as he looked at the other five hollows; they growled at him and one threw an expletive in his direction that he ignored. "None of the others had what I was looking for."

"Which is?"

Urahara gave a brief exhale, tipping his hat back slightly to look at the ghost hunter. "I was operating under the premise that all hollows carried the ability to transport you in-between dimensions. Unfortunately, further research has yielded the result that this is not the case. It would seem that a select few hollows have this special ability, and these are not among the chosen. Of course, the one you have just caught might be," he added charitably.

"So what now?" Skulker asked.

"I am a scientist. Even if these hollows do not have the ability, there is a way that they obtained it. The ability obviously requires the power of a cero, as only then were you transported to this place. The main problem lies in the fact that I have no link to your dimension." Urahara gave Skulker a once over. "Outside of you and your acquaintances. However, you have been here too long for me to gather anything of use. Unless you would be willing to donate some of your ectoplasm?"

"What for?"

"What is your Ghost Zone made of?"

"Ectoplasm," Skulker said.

"And you are made of the ectoplasm that consists of the Ghost Zone," Urahara pointed out. "It would not be unreasonable to assume that perhaps a way home lies in your DNA. I would simply need a way to link our two dimensions. It would be simpler if I knew how they did it," he admitted, gesturing shortly to the hollows, "but I can make do without."

Skulker considered Urahara's request for a short moment. Finally, he said, "My armor is not made out of the same ectoplasm as the Ghost Zone. It is not made out of ectoplasm at all."

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "Then? You _are_ a ghost, are you not?"

"Of course I am!" Skulker said, affronted. "The armor has to be operated by somebody."

Urahara's eyes roved over the bulky form of the ghost. "And you are reluctant to have anybody see your true form because?"

Skulker's face darkened slightly. "It is…not the best form," he admitted grudgingly. "But as you require a sample of my ectoplasm, and I am the only ghost present, I can allow you to take some. I will give it to you myself."

There was a brief silence before it was broken by an enthusiastic yell.

"Oh, _Kisuke_!"

"Eh?" Urahara looked over to where the ladder was that led up to the store. Kurosaki Isshin was bouncing over to him, Sam and Tucker in two behind him. "Isshin." He gave the two teens a cursory nod before his eyes flicked back to the adult. "What are you doing here?"

Isshin jabbed a thumb in the direction of Sam and Tucker. "Their friend's gone missing, as has Ichigo. Something to do with a ghost called Spectra. I couldn't just leave them."

"How did you manage to get in contact with them in the first place?" Urahara sounded vaguely disapproving.

"It wasn't our fault!" Sam protested.

"There was a hollow!" Tucker added. "And Danny injured his legs trying to get me out of the way of a car, and we had to go to some kind of doctor so the lady wouldn't get suspicious."

"It was just our luck that it was Ichigo's dad's clinic," Sam finished, opening her arms in a helpless what-can-you-do gesture. "And he'd apparently hired Spectra as a secretary."

"And in the middle of it all Ichigo came in," Isshin said. "He took her out, and something happened. Now we have a giant pothole in the middle of the street that'll be a pain to explain to the neighbors."

"How is it that your son noticed she was a ghost, but you didn't?" Urahara asked, eyeing his friend skeptically.

"She was hot!" Isshin said unashamedly, causing Sam and Tucker to palm their faces in exasperation.

"If you think _Spectra_ is hot, I'd hate to see what you think is ugly," Tucker said.

"It wasn't her," Sam said. "It was her _assets_…if you get what I mean."

"I don't," Skulker said, while Tucker looked slightly intrigued for a moment.

"Putting aside your moment of bad judgment," Urahara said, dragging the conversation back on track, "can't you sense Ichigo? Your son is a powerhouse of reiatsu."

"Can you?" Isshin asked pointedly. "Because I can't. It disappeared, along with Fantomu's."

Urahara furrowed his brow for a moment, stretching his senses outward to see if he could find Ichigo. He came back to himself to shake his head. "What happened?"

"It looked like a cero," Isshin said. "At least, that's what I saw from my vantage point. It was definitely red."

"Ghosts don't have red attacks," Sam said, catching the adults' attention.

"Plasmius's is pink," Skulker offered. "But pure red is not a color that ghosts are affiliated with. Green, white, and pink are the more common colors. It all depends on a ghost's individual power."

"So we can assume that Spectra has the ability to fire a cero," Urahara mused, eyes roving over the captive hollows. "Perhaps if we can find her…"

"You won't be needing this then?" Skulker asked, looking down on the hollow in the net.

"What is it?" Sam inquired.

"Skulker has been bringing me hollows to study so I can find a way to send you home," Urahara explained. "As of now, I haven't had any luck."

"So we just have to find Spectra then?" Tucker threw his hands up in the air. "Easier said than done. She's not the kind of ghost who'll just roll over and let you catch her."

"And that's if Danny and Ichigo didn't catch her," Sam said. "But if they did, then we'd have seen them by now."

A malicious chuckle filled the air then. "Oh, honey, if you haven't heard from them by now, then you're not likely to hear from them ever again."

Everyone whipped around to see Penelope Spectra standing a short distance away in her human appearance. Her arms were folded across her chest and her eyes were partly hidden by her glasses.

"Have you forgotten the last so many times Danny's trounced you?" Tucker demanded.

"That little twerp is a goody-goody two-shoes and his orange-haired friend is in the same boat," Spectra said, baring her teeth. "I don't think they'll like where I sent them. Them _and_ their friends. They're probably having a right old party."

"The other shinigami?" Isshin asked.

Urahara was silent for a brief moment before he said, "Their reiatsu is gone as well."

"If you've taken care of the other shinigami and Danny," Sam said, "then what are you doing here? I hate to break this to you, Spectra, but we're nowhere near miserable enough for you to feed off of us."

Spectra narrowed her eyes; the air seemed to become slightly heavier. "Don't flatter yourself, girl. I'm not interested in you."

"Call me 'girl' one more time," Sam snapped. "I dare you."

Urahara stepped in front of the furious teen. "Now, now. There's no need to come to blows." He gave his cane a whirl in the air. "Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement? I am a scientist working toward a way home for your kind."

Spectra gave a low laugh. "Home? Given that the ghost boy isn't there anymore and the only protectors that place has are those buffoons, I doubt that there even _is_ a home to go back to."

"Come now," Urahara said. "You have that rare ability of traversing the different dimensions. I would simply require—"

"An experiment?" Spectra's eyes flashed a sickly yellow and the dirt below her feet cracked slightly. "Sorry, I've had enough of those."

In the meantime, Sam was scrabbling around her backpack, and she gave a low and triumphant "ah-ha!" when she'd found what she was looking for. She pulled out a small ecto-gun and threw it to a surprised Tucker before pulling out another and shooting at Spectra.

The sudden attack hit the ghost directly in the chest and blasted her backward onto her back with a pained cry.

"Whoa, Sam! You didn't tell us you were carrying these around!" Tucker checked his grip on the ecto-gun and pointed it at Spectra.

"It was just a backup," Sam said. "In case we actually needed to defend ourselves. I wasn't carrying them before, but after the last time we were attacked, I figured I should."

"You have another thermos on you?" Tucker asked hopefully.

"Danny has the last one," Sam said apologetically.

There was a sound of loud whirring and Skulker attacked Spectra as well with his cannons. His significantly more powerful attack hit Spectra head on and threw her into a nearby rock.

"I may not approve of experimenting, but I _am_ looking for a way home," Skulker informed the fuming Spectra, who was kicking off the debris that had fallen on her. "Will you help?"

"You _betrayer_!" Spectra screamed, tearing off her human appearance to don her normal one. "Allying with these _humans_! Allying with these _murderers_!"

Skulker frowned. "Murderers?"

"Don't give me that!" Spectra snarled, eyes flickering over the silent Urahara and Isshin. "Don't you know what they've done?"

"I've been here all this time, so I should say yes," Skulker said. "They haven't killed anyone."

Urahara and Isshin gave small coughs at this statement.

"No one of your kind," Urahara affirmed, pulling off the handle of his cane to reveal a gleaming zanpakutou. "Although," he said, casting a scrutinizing eye over Spectra's altered appearance, "you're not exactly a ghost anymore, are you?"

Spectra gave a wordless howl of rage before she disappeared. Without a word, Skulker disappeared, too.

The humans and shinigami tensed for a brief moment until there was a loud scream and Spectra fell to the ground, smoking. Skulker appeared in the air above her, a cannon in one arm and a syringe in the other.

"Interesting," he said, giving the syringe a fond look before putting it away.

"What was that?" Sam demanded.

"It was supposed to render her unconscious, but her constitution was too altered for it to work effectively," Skulker said. "Hence why I also shot her."

Urahara sheathed his weapon before approaching the unconscious Spectra and kneeling down by her. He inspected her prone form for a long moment before looking up and grinning at the others, eliciting shivers due to the sheer glee hidden in it.

"Well now," he said cheerfully, "who wants to go dimension hopping?"

* * *

**So, what'd you think? Drop a REVIEW please! I love to hear from you. On another note, I'm going to post the first chapter of the rewrite of The Return soon. I'd like to see what you guys think of it...**

**I have one more final on Thursday, and I'm going home on Friday. I'll be taking turns driving with my mom, so I should have some writing time in the car. So I suppose I'll see you in a couple of weeks! Or maybe even next week. Depends on how well I manage to get the next chapter out onto paper.  
**


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